The Decameron

The Decameron is a collection of one hundred tales written by the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio in the mid-14th century.

The frame narrative follows ten young Florentines who flee the Black Death to a villa outside the city, where they pass the time telling stories over ten days—hence the title, from Greek for "ten days." The tales range from bawdy to tragic, satirizing clergy, celebrating wit, and exploring love in all its forms.

The work influenced Chaucer, Shakespeare, and the development of prose fiction in European literature.