Decameron Nights

In the mid-14th century, the poet Boccaccio travels to locate his beloved Fiametta, only to learn she has fled Florence. She has taken refuge in a countryside villa with several female companions, fleeing plague and an invading army. Boccaccio arrives intending to win her hand after a long search.

Fiametta initially refuses to invite him to stay, but her bored friends override her reluctance and urge hospitality. The tension shows the politics of romance as men and women maneuver around courtship. Boccaccio agrees to stay and entertain the group.

To entertain the ladies and press his suit, Boccaccio begins telling stories about the pursuit of love. The tales explore desire, wit, and cunning, and they become the centerpiece of the evening. The stories serve as a device to reveal character and motive.

In one tale, Bartolomea is married to the wealthy, older Ricciardo and is bound by his astrology driven life. When a fishing trip turns into a pirate ambush, the pirates seize the women but release Bartolomea, holding her for a 50,000 florin ransom payable at Majorca. The episode weaves together bargaining, deception, and shifting loyalties.

Ricciardo attempts to rescue his wife but cannot answer a simple question about Bartolomea. As a result, Paganino the pirate, acting with the Governor of Majorca, orders a 50,000 florin fine. The penalty deepens the peril and confirms the power of the pirate captor.

Bartolomea becomes Paganino the pirate's wife after the ransom, and Paganino vows to abandon piracy. The marriage marks a turn away from violence toward a different life.

Giulio goads Bernabo into betting on the virtue of his wife Ginevra. He bribes Nerina the maid to let him hide in her mistress bedchamber, and then steals a locket and a lock of hair as proof. Bernabo pays up, but soon hires two assassins to kill Ginevra.

Ginevra disguises herself as a man and becomes a sailor on a merchant ship. A potential buyer, the Sultan, is intrigued by her talking parrot and will buy the wares if he can also have the bird. The parrot will only speak for Ginevra, so she serves in the Sultan's service.

While aboard, Ginevra spots her own locket in a marketplace stall run by Giulio, which leads her to uncover his motive. She arranges a dinner for Giulio and Bernabo at the Sultan's table and, in disguise, confronts Giulio about whether he knows her. When he lies, she is vindicated and finally reunites with Bernabo.

Boccaccio grows weary of the moral of the first tale and announces that he will tell another. He signals a shift in the storytelling within the villa, prompting the women to anticipate a more uplifting narrative.

Don Bertrando is sent to fetch the female doctor Isabella to treat a seriously ill King. On the journey, he defends Isabella from two highwaymen, and she proves her medical genius when she cures the King. The gratitude of the King leads him to offer her anything, and she asks for a husband.

Isabella and Bertrando marry, but he immediately resumes his playboy life, telling her that he will live with her only if she bears him a child and obtains a ring from him. The marriage becomes strained as his desires clash with her patient efforts.

Isabella learns of Bertrando's attempt to seduce the innkeeper's daughter Maria and has the innkeeper pass a message from Maria for a nighttime rendezvous. The rendezvous happens in a dark room, and Isabella steals Bertrando's ring before leaving. Months later, she bears a son and Bertrando, learning the truth, embraces his wife.

Fiametta remains skeptical of the tales, and Boccaccio gives up on the first story. He returns, takes Fiametta in his arms, and kisses her. She resists at first, then yields to his embrace, marking a romantic closure to the night.