Dante Damiano was an artist/sculptor from Italy who came to town with a mysterious connection to the recently returned Taylor Hayes; Taylor had been believed to be dead after being shot by the nefarious Sheila Carter. But Dante had been commissioned to create a likeness of Taylor by her former paramour, Prince Omar of Morocco, who placed the mannequin in Taylor's coffin and brought the real Taylor to his palace to heal her. Dante helped Taylor escape the prince.

Dante was also connected with shipping magnate Massimo Marone, and Forrester Creations heiress Bridget Forrester; Dante hoped to continue the romance he had with Bridget in Europe. But Bridget had moved on with Massimo's son, Nick Marone; Dante felt he was a better choice for Bridget since Nick still had romantic ties to Bridget's mother, Brooke Logan. After Bridget turned up pregnant with Nick's baby, Dante briefly dated Brooke, who wanted to prove to Bridget she was over Nick. Dante took a job designing at Forrester Creations and continued campaigning for himself with Bridget until her half-sister, Felicia Forrester, returned to Los Angeles. Though Felicia had a baby boy she claimed had been fathered by Nick, Dante wondered if the child could be his, as Dante had a fling with Felicia in France. A paternity test finally revealed that Dante was the father of little Dominick, but before Dante could make a family with Felicia, she died of cancer.

Because Bridget had miscarried and her marriage to Nick had fallen apart, Dante approached Bridget about carrying out Felicia's dying wish: that Dante and Bridget raise Dominick together. Dante and Bridget nicknamed the boy "Dino", but not long after they moved in together, it was revealed that Felicia was alive, as Felicia's mother, Stephanie Forrester, had spirited her supposedly dead daughter to a private clinic for treatment. When Dante wanted to take "Dino" to Italy to meet his relatives, Dante was threatened with arrest and deportation by Stephanie. Dante became involved in a complicated triangle with Bridget and Felicia, ultimately proposing to them both. Dante chose Felicia, and they nearly married with Dante's Italian family in attendance, but Bridget announced she was carrying Dante's child. Dante comforted Bridget when she lost his baby; soon after, Felicia reported that Dante had accepted a sculpting commission in Italy, and he has not been mentioned since.