How did Italian writers influence Geoffrey Chaucer’s poetry?

Geoffrey Chaucer’s exposure to Italian literature during his diplomatic missions to Italy in the 1370s profoundly influenced his development as a poet, marking a shift away from his earlier reliance on French courtly love traditions.12

During these travels, Chaucer encountered the works of three major Italian writers, which significantly shaped his later narrative style and thematic depth:

• Dante Alighieri: Chaucer became acquainted with Dante’s writings, which contributed to his evolving skill and philosophical perspective.12
• Petrarch: Chaucer drew upon a story from Petrarch for the substance of "The Clerk’s Tale".2
• Giovanni Boccaccio: Boccaccio’s influence was particularly significant for Chaucer’s narrative poetry. Chaucer based Troilus and Criseyde on Boccaccio’s Filostrato and used the Teseida as the basis for "The Knight’s Tale". Furthermore, both authors are noted for their refined treatment of the short narrative during the Middle Ages, with Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales reflecting a versatility comparable to the narrative framing techniques found in Boccaccio’s Decameron.23