Folco Portinari was an Italian banker.

Born at Portico di Romagna, near Forlì

Forlì

Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...

, he was later prior of Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

 in 1282. He was the father of Beatrice Portinari

Beatrice Portinari

Beatrice "Bice" di Folco Portinari was a Florentine woman known as the muse of the poet Dante Alighieri. Beatrice was the principal inspiration for Dante's Vita Nuova, and also appears as his guide in the Divine Comedy in the last book, Paradiso, and in the last four canti of Purgatorio...

, the woman largely identified as the character loved by Dante

DANTE

Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...

 and mentioned in several of his works. In 1285 he donated a large part of his assets to the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova

Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova

Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova is the oldest hospital still active in Florence.-Origins:The hospital was founded in 1288 by Folco Portinari, the father of Beatrice beloved by Dante...

 in Florence to found a female wing.

His residence in Florence was the future Palazzo Portinari Salviati. He was buried in the nearby church of Santa Maria de' Cerchi.