How many cantos are in Paradiso?

Dante’s Paradiso contains 33 cantos, completing the three-part structure of the Divine Comedy.

Paradiso is the final cantica of Dante Alighieri’s poem, following Inferno and Purgatorio. Each cantica is organized into 33 cantos, while Inferno has an additional opening canto that serves as a general prologue. The complete poem therefore totals 100 cantos.

The number three is central to the poem’s design, reflecting the Christian Trinity and appearing in its three realms, three cantiche, and terza rima verse form. The 33-canto length also echoes the traditional number of years associated with Christ’s earthly life, although the poem’s numerical symbolism is interpreted in several related ways.

Paradiso follows Dante’s ascent through the heavens under the guidance of Beatrice. Its nine celestial spheres culminate in the Empyrean, where Dante experiences the ultimate vision of God. Readers sometimes confuse the 33 cantos of Paradiso with Inferno’s 34, but the difference comes from Inferno’s introductory canto.