Francesca da Rimini is a historical figure from the 13th century, known for her tragic love story. She was the daughter of a noble family in Rimini, Italy, and became famous for her affair with Paolo Malatesta, her husband's brother. Their romance was cut short when her husband, Giovanni Malatesta, discovered them together and killed them both. Francesca's story is immortalized in literature, most notably in Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy," where she appears in the Inferno. In this work, she is punished in the second circle of hell for her adulterous love, symbolizing the consequences of passion and desire.