The Decameron

The film opens with credits and a Neapolitan ballad playing over the title sequence. It then shows Ser Ciappelletto committing a murder and hiding the body, establishing a dark frame for the following stories. A pupil of Giotto, who will later paint the mural, arrives in Naples to begin his commission.

Andreuccio travels to Naples to buy horses and is soon targeted by a rich lady who invites him to supper under the pretense they are long-lost siblings. After the meal he falls through a trap door and ends up in a trough, from which he escapes. He then encounters thieves while attempting to steal jewels from a tomb, outwits them by using cunning, and leaves with the ring he has seized.

In Naples, Ciappelletto's tale is told as he quietly slips pockets among the crowd. He offers money to a male child in exchange for sexual favors, revealing his predatory character and sly opportunism. The story within the film culminates with the crowd considering him holy while he continues his discreet misdeeds.

A gardener encourages Masetto to seek work at a convent filled with beautiful women. He pretends to be deaf and mute to gain entry, and a pair of nuns quickly exploit his supposed silence for sexual favors. The other sisters join in until he protests that he cannot keep up, and the abbess pretends a miracle restored his voice to justify his continued stay.

Peronella orchestrates a cuckolded scenario with her lover by hiding him inside a large pot when her husband comes home. She sells the pot to a buyer, claiming it is already taken, while the lovers resume their tryst beside the container. The husband remains oblivious as the plan unfolds around him.

In Prato, Ciappelletto, a notorious Neapolitan merchant, travels to Germany to seal a deal. On his deathbed he crafts a confession filled with lies, fooling a monk into praising him as holy. After his death, the crowd venerates Saint Ciappelletto, and visitors flock to touch his body seeking miracles.

During a brief intermission, a Giotto pupil and his companion travel to decorate Santa Chiara with a fresco. They observe passersby in a market for visual inspiration before resuming their painting. The interlude provides context for the later tales about Caterina and Ricciardo.

Caterina from Valbona falls for Ricciardo and the lovers plan to spend the night on a terrace. When her father discovers them, he arranges that Ricciardo marry Caterina to preserve the dowry and social standing. The couple is married on the spot, and the family is relieved at the match.

Elizabeth, wealthy and beautiful, falls in love with Lorenzo, but her brothers murder him to preserve the family honor. Elizabeth dreams of Lorenzo and later discovers his buried body in the garden. She retrieves Lorenzo's head and keeps it in a basil pot she tends daily, preserving his memory.

Gemmata and her husband Pietro host a visiting Don Gianni who claims he can transform Gemmata into a mare for sowing the fields. The ruse involves a staged ritual and exposure to sexual advances, observed by Pietro, who is shocked but complies. The plan collapses when the husband realizes the deception and objects.

Meuccio and Tingoccio discuss the afterlife, debating whether Heaven or Hell awaits them. Tingoccio dies, and Meuccio dreams of a limbo-like state where sex is not considered a mortal sin. He rushes to his girlfriend, declaring that it is not a sin after all.

The Giotto pupil finishes painting the mural that stitches together the film's episodes. He marvels at his work and quietly muses that some works are better left to dreams than completed by hands. The film ends on this contemplative note.