Page 124 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Frederigo of the Alberighi Family : A Falcon for a Hear

In the golden age of Florence, Federigo degli Alberighi stood as a paragon
of chivalry and grace. Born into nobility, he was admired for his valor in
tournaments and his generosity in courtly life. Yet his heart belonged wholly to
Monna Giovanna, a woman of rare beauty and virtue. Though she was married

and beyond his reach, Federigo devoted himself to her with unwavering passion,
spending his fortune on lavish displays of affection, banquets, jousts, and gifts,
all in vain. His love, pure but unreciprocated, led him from opulence to poverty.

Reduced to a modest country estate in Campi, Federigo lived quietly with
his only remaining treasure: a magnificent falcon, famed throughout Tuscany.
Despite his fall from wealth, he retained his dignity, choosing solitude and
simplicity over bitterness. Years passed, and fate stirred the embers of his

story. Monna Giovanna’s husband died, leaving her a widow with a young son.
One summer, she brought the boy to her estate near Federigo’s farm. The child,
enchanted by Federigo’s falcon, fell gravely ill and begged his mother for the bird,
believing it would heal him. Torn between maternal love and social propriety,

Monna Giovanna resolved to visit Federigo and ask for the falcon.

Federigo, overwhelmed by her unexpected visit, saw it as a long-awaited
blessing. Wishing to honor her with the finest meal he could offer, he made a

heartbreaking decision: he sacrificed his beloved falcon to prepare the feast.
Only after the meal did Monna Giovanna reveal her true purpose, and Federigo,
stricken yet composed, explained that the bird she sought had just been served.
THIS TALE’S VISUAL FEELS LIKE
THEATRICAL SATIRE SMUGGLED
INTO COSMIC ABSTRACTION, Moved beyond words by his selflessness and quiet suffering, Monna Giovanna
A CHOREOGRAPHY OF CHAOS, saw the depth of his character. No longer blinded by status or wealth, she
TANGLED LIMBS, DEFIANT recognized the nobility of his spirit. In time, she chose to marry him, not out
HUMOR, AND INCANDESCENT
ABSURDITY HELD IN STRIKING of pity, but out of genuine admiration and love. With her wealth and his virtue,
EQUILIBRIUM. they built a life of mutual respect and happiness.
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