Page 46 - Petru Russo | The 100 Days of Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

Landolfo Ruffolo

This novella from The Decameron follows the thrilling adventures taken prisoner aboard their ship, but a violent storm intervenes,
of Landolfo Ruffolo, a wealthy merchant whose insatiable ambition shipwrecking both captors and captive.

and dramatic encounters with fortune shape his extraordinary tale
of loss, resilience, and redemption. Clinging to life amid the wreckage, Landolfo finds salvation in a
chest floating in the sea. The chest, filled with precious jewels,
Landolfo, dissatisfied with his wealth, seeks to increase his fortune offers him the means to recover his fortune. Holding onto it, he

by investing everything in a mercantile voyage to Alexandria. is cast ashore on the island of Corfu, where he is discovered
However, his dreams of profit are shattered when his ship is by a compassionate woman. She offers him shelter and care,
attacked by pirates, leaving him penniless and forced to sell his embodying the virtues of kindness and generosity that contrast
belongings. Reduced to poverty and shame, Landolfo becomes a starkly with his own experiences.

beggar in Salerno, a shadow of his former self.
Restored to health and carrying the chest of jewels, Landolfo
Driven by desperation, Landolfo turns to piracy, embarking on a returns home to Salerno. His newfound wealth not only revives
life of peril to regain his fortune. His exploits bring initial success, his fortunes but also teaches him the unpredictable nature of life

but his luck soon turns. Captured by Genoese rivals, Landolfo and the value of humility. Landolfo’s journey from riches to rags
loses everything once again. His fate seems sealed as he is and back again reflects the power of perseverance and fortune’s
capricious hand in human affairs.

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