The Decameron is a collection of one hundred tales told by a group of young people sheltering in a villa outside Florence to escape the Black Death. The stories are a mix of tragedy, romance, and comedy, and offer a unique insight into the social and cultural history of medieval Italy. This classic book of Italian literature is essential reading for anyone interested in the medieval era and its impact on society and culture. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.