The Decameron is a collection of one hundred stories framed by a single situation. In Florence during a deadly plague, seven young women and three young men leave the city for a country villa. To pass the time they agree to tell one story each on every day of their stay, under a chosen ruler for each day. The tales range from bawdy comedy and clever tricks to tragic love, generosity and the follies of clergy and merchants. Boccaccio shows a wide human world with wit and sympathy. It is a landmark of Italian prose and a model for later storytelling in Europe.