The Decameron

Set against the shadow of the Black Plague, The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio is a radiant tapestry of love, wit, tragedy, and the triumph of the human spirit. When Florence is ravaged by pestilence, ten young nobles — seven women and three men — flee to a countryside villa to escape the horrors of the city. Over ten days, they pass the time by telling one hundred stories: tales of romance and folly, devotion and deception, virtue and vice.

From the poetic tragedy of “Griselda” to the romantic daring of “Cymon and Iphigenia” and the moral allegory of “The Three Rings,” Boccaccio captures the full spectrum of human experience — earthy, wise, and profoundly moving.

Narrated with grace and warmth by Mary Ellin Kurtz, this timeless masterpiece invites listeners into a world where storytelling itself becomes an act of survival — and of joy.