Page 48 - SUMMARIES OF GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO’S DECAMEON : A Visionary Journey In 100 Stories And 100 Etchings By Petru Russu

Landolfo Ruffolo

This novella from The Decameron follows the thrilling adventures of
Landolfo Ruffolo, a wealthy merchant whose insatiable ambition and
dramatic encounters with fortune shape his extraordinary tale of loss,
resilience, and redemption.

Landolfo, dissatisfied with his wealth, seeks to increase his fortune by
investing everything in a mercantile voyage to Alexandria. However, his
dreams of profit are shattered when his ship is attacked by pirates, leaving

him penniless and forced to sell his belongings. Reduced to poverty and
shame, Landolfo becomes a beggar in Salerno, a shadow of his former self.

Driven by desperation, Landolfo turns to piracy, embarking on a life of

peril to regain his fortune. His exploits bring initial success, but his luck
soon turns. Captured by Genoese rivals, Landolfo loses everything once
again. His fate seems sealed as he is taken prisoner aboard their ship, but
a violent storm intervenes, shipwrecking both captors and captive.

Clinging to life amid the wreckage, Landolfo finds salvation in a chest
floating in the sea. The chest, filled with precious jewels, offers him the
means to recover his fortune. Holding onto it, he is cast ashore on the

island of Corfu, where he is discovered by a compassionate woman.
She offers him shelter and care, embodying the virtues of kindness and
generosity that contrast starkly with his own experiences.
CHARGED WITH STORM-WROUGHT
INTENSITY AND GEM-LIKE SHARDS
OF PIGMENT, THE PIECE EVOKES Restored to health and carrying the chest of jewels, Landolfo returns
A WORLD BATTERED BY CHANCE, home to Salerno. His newfound wealth not only revives his fortunes but
ITS LAYERED CHAOS ECHOING also teaches him the unpredictable nature of life and the value of humility.
SHIPWRECK AND SURVIVAL, Landolfo’s journey from riches to rags and back again reflects the power
WHERE FORTUNE DRIFTS
BETWEEN RUIN AND RESCUE. of perseverance and fortune’s capricious hand in human affairs.
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