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How many stories are in the Decameron?
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Giovanni Boccaccio
Italian poet and scholar Giovanni Boccaccio, detail of a fresco by Andrea del Castagno; in the Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia, Florence.
The Decameron, a masterpiece of classical Italian prose by Giovanni Boccaccio, contains 100 stories in total.12
The collection is structured around a frame story in which 10 young people flee plague-stricken Florence to a villa in Fiesole. Over the course of 10 days, each member of the party takes a turn as the leader, directing the group's activities and storytelling. Because each of the 10 participants tells one story per day, the work comprises 100 tales, which is reflected in the title Decameron, meaning "Ten Days' Work".12