The amatory infection comes easily and becomes the most serious disease of all, writes Marsilio Ficino in chapter 6.5 of the Dell’amore. Likening the contagious nature of love with itch, mange, leprosy, pneumonia, consumption, dysentery, pink-eye and the plague, Ficino the doctor of bodies and souls prescribes his own concept of ‘Socratic love’ as the cure against the dangers of vulgar love. If, however, we look closer at Ficino’s descriptions in his commentary on Plato’s Symposium we will see that even the most serious case of the amatory illness is characterized by a mixture of pain and pleasure, and that not even Socratic love is providing a total guarantee against suffering. While vulgar love and heavenly love among some Neoplatonists is seen to differ absolutely, Ficino’s position is more exciting. This paper examines earthly and heavenly love in Ficino’s Dell’amore, arguing that heavenly love has surprisingly much in common with earthly love.