Page 42 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
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“Landolfo Rufolo and the Power of Fortune“
Landolfo Rufolo is a wealthy merchant from Ravello who booty, not the other kind) and sink his ship. The next day,
foolishly tries to double his fortune with a risky business they find themselves in the middle of another storm. The
venture. It doesn’t work out. Landolfo loses almost ship carrying Landolfo wrecks and sends everyone and
everything he has and realizes that he’ll have to turn to everything into the sea. Landolfo winds up clinging to a
piracy to recover his economic footing in the world. It chest until he washes up on the shore of Corfu. A kindly
turns out that Landolfo’s a really great pirate even better woman drags him from the sea and takes care of him until
than he was at being a merchant and raids enough Turkish he’s well. She also hands over the chest that he had been
ships to make himself a tidy fortune. At this point, Landolfo clinging to when she found him. And, of course, when
feels he has enough coin to choose early retirement, so Landolfo opens it, he finds it filled with precious jewels.
he sails for home as quickly as he can. But Fortune will But he’s finally learned to be cautious, so he tells no one
have none of this. A storm blows up and forces him into of his fortune as he makes his way back to Ravello. Once
the protection of a bay. It also forces two Genoese ships to there, he cashes in the jewels, sends sums of money to
harbor there. They recognize Landolfo’s vessel and decide the woman at Corfu and to others that helped him get back
to reclaim some of the booty for themselves. The Genoese home, and lives happily ever after without having to return
quickly take Landolfo hostage, steal his booty (pirate to the business world.
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