The Decameron

It is 1348: as the plague rages in Florence, ten young people flee to the countryside, and to pass the time pleasantly—and perhaps to forget the horror—they each tell a story over the course of ten days. This is the well-known “framework” that encompasses the most famous collection of short stories in European literature. The Decameron is, in fact, a masterpiece that still captivates readers with its variety of tones—sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic—and its ability to depict the infinite variety of life. Stories on any theme, tales with happy endings, and love stories—whether fortunate or tragic—alternate with examples of magnanimity, pranks and mockery, and heroic deeds, in a grand secular and profane epic of medieval man.