In Canto XV of
Paradiso, Dante uses Cianghella as an example of the corrupt nature of Florentine citizens in his time, in contrast to the virtue of the idealized Florence in which his ancestor,
Cacciaguida lived in the eleventh century. In lines 126–128, Cacciaguida refers to Cianghella:As great a marvel then would have been held A Lapo Salterello, a Cianghella, As Cincinnatus or Cornelia now.In this tercet, Cianghella's disreputable lifestyle is compared to the moral stature of
Cornelia, a Roman matron who was renowned for her austere virtue. Cacciaguida says that Cianghella would be as shocking to Florence in his time as Cornelia is to fourteenth-century Florentines. Cianghella is also likened to
Lapo Salterello, a contemporary Florentine judge known for his corruption. Critics have noted that Dante's condemnation of Cianghella may be on political rather than purely moralistic grounds. Cianghella belonged to one of the most prominent Black Guelph families, while Dante was a White Guelph. While Dante normally celebrates female chastity and modesty, he also treats positively women who had numerous lovers in their lives, such as
Cunizza da Romano, a noblewoman from
Treviso, or
Rahab, a biblical character and a prostitute. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that Dante treated Cianghella more harshly because of the political alignment of her family. It is also likely that Dante's harsh condemnation of Cianghella as the prototype of corrupted and corrupting women may have influenced the information reported by the commentators of the
Divine Comedy, therefore creating the myth of a lady of ill repute. == In Boccaccio's
Corbaccio ==