Among the three fathers of Italian literature, the "three crowns," is the lofty figure of John Boccaccio.

A star of the 14th century, it marks the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and makes great contributions to the literature of the time. His major work, the Decameron, is the most important example. A collection of one hundred novellae in which, for the first time, female characters are protagonists on a par with male characters. Prominent among the ten protagonists of the novellas is the fascinating figure of Fiammetta.

The mysterious woman with whom Boccaccio falls in love at the first exchange of glances in the majestic Basilica of San Lorenzo in Naples, is the poet's muse and yearning love. Naples is for the poet the city of love where he spent his adolescence, recounted in its chaotic beauty as it appeared during the time of the Angevins.

Boccaccio in Naples

Giovanni Boccaccio was born in Florence in 1313 as the illegitimate son of his father Boccaccino di Chellino and a woman from Certaldo. During his Florentine childhood he learned the basics of the Latin and study the Divine Comedy Dante's. Tuscany is the region where Boccaccio was born and died, but the poet, like the great men of letters of the time, traveled extensively during his lifetime. Between these travels he lived for almost fifteen years in Naples, remaining deeply influenced.

In 1327 Boccaccio and his father landed in Naples, where Boccaccino worked as a stockbroker for the noble Florentine Bardi family. A Naples Boccaccio is immediately captivated by the beauty of the chaotic and cosmopolitan city, rich in different realities, colors and history.

He enrolled in law school at theUniversity of Naples Federico II. Rather than taking law classes, however, he became interested in poetic lessons, undertaking studies on the Stylnovistic tradition of Cino da Pistoia, a jurist and poet who was a friend of Dante Alighieri.

Attend the court of the acculturated king Robert of Anjou and right among the environments of the Angevin Male, knows great writers of the time and frequents the rich royal libraries. He became passionate about literature and wrote several works including the vernacular poem Teseida, the romance novel Filocolo, and the poems Filostrato and Caccia di Diana that laid the groundwork for the future composition of the Decameron, his major work.

Naples in the works of Boccaccio

In his works Boccaccio gives us a clear picture of life in the city of Naples. The Neapolitan city is mentioned in the events of Florio, the protagonist of Filocolo. In the novel it is told that Florio, stranded in Naples, goes to the Tomb of Virgil, where he meets Caleone (impersonating Boccaccio himself) and Fiammetta.

In some of the Decameron's many novellas, the city of Naples also serves as the setting. In "Andreuccio da Perugia," the protagonist finds himself in the historic center of Naples. After a walk in Market Square, Andreuccio wanders through the narrow streets and alleys of the historic center where he is robbed by a young Sicilian woman. In particular, Ruga i.e., the historic Rua Catalana and the "Malpertugio alla Marina," which hints at the area near Depretis Street. During the story, the young protagonist escapes thieves by taking refuge in a tomb that likely appears to be the tomb of Philip Minutolo in the Naples Cathedral. Giotto's pupil, on the other hand, must go to the Church of St. Clare To fresco the altar wall.

What also fascinated Boccaccio was the language of Naples, so much so that the poet wrote a very special work that will be remembered as the first example of dialect literature in prose. This is the Epistola napoletana, a work written half in Florentine and half in dialect Neapolitan.

The meeting between Giovanni Boccaccio and his Fiammetta

Many verses in the Decameron and other works by Boccaccio are dedicated to a mysterious figure, a muse who inspired several characters in the poet's stories. This is a woman famous by the name of Fiammetta and about whom little or nothing is known. Boccaccio himself seems to have deliberately concealed her identity with a play on handwriting in which he writes of a certain Maria or Ilaria d'Aquino.

It is said that Fiammetta was the illegitimate daughter of King Robert of Anjou or that perhaps behind this pseudonym was the figure of Giovanna d'Aquino, daughter of Thomas II of Aquinas. What is known for certain is that of Fiammetta, Giovanni Boccaccio had lost his head so much that after the end of their relationship and her farewell to the city of Naples, the poet would never marry.

Their love story began with a meeting and was described by Boccaccio himself in one of his Florentine works, Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta.

On Holy Saturday day in 1336 (some claim it was the year 1330), during the mass of the Franciscan friars in the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore, Boccaccio's gaze intertwined with Fiammetta's, and it was love at once. He praised her beauty, which became the object of his love and muse for his works. She, in the verses written by the poet, seemed shy but knew she could not remain indifferent to the young Giovanni Boccaccio.

Thus begins a clandestine love affair between the poet and the beautiful young widow. After three years, however, she seems distracted by a new love and abandons Boccaccio, who continues to compose works for Fiammetta. The composition Amorosa Visione is dedicated to her, among others. In 1340 he was recalled to Florence by his father because of the economic misfortune that struck the family.

The complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore

In the historic center of the city of Naples stands the monumental Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore. The complex is among the oldest in the city and consists of the church and the nearby convent.

Commissioned by Pope Gregory IX, the basilica was first born as a Franciscan church dedicated to the worship of St. Lawrence. In 1270 Charles of Anjou had its spaces rebuilt and enlarged in a perfect blend of the pre-existing Franciscan and Gothic styles.

During those years the basilica witnessed important historical events. It saw the succession to the throne of the entire dynasty of the angevins And the consecration of Pope Sixtus V.

The Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore

It was precisely among the halls of the church, during the celebration of a mass, that Boccaccio and Fiammetta fell in love. At that time the church was in its prime.

Earthquakes and wartime events, as well as the often improper use of the church's rooms, deteriorated its walls, and the structure was modified during the story. The cloister of the church was even used as a weapons depot under the Spanish viceroys while the tall, squarish steeple 15th century, was besieged by the people during the uprisings led by Masaniello.

Extensive restoration work was done in 1882 and continued into the late 20th century with a consolidation of the crumbling walls by means of a buttress and reinforced concrete.

The facade of the church that we can admire today was rebuilt in 1742 by Sanfelice. The Baroque style is interrupted, however, in the part where the main entrance opens, consisting of a tall Gothic portal. This preserves the original wooden doors of 14th-century workmanship.

Crossing the majestic portal one finds oneself at the beginning of the large central nave interrupted by the intersection of the side chapels, according to the ancient Latin cross plan. Among the church's interiors were priceless works of art executed by such illustrious artists as Colantonio and Simone Martini. The panels were later transferred to the Museum of Capodimonte.

The sixteen side chapels contain other Baroque or 14th-century style artworks as well as monuments and tombs that hold the remains of great figures in Neapolitan history including men of letters, musicians, marquises, and philosophers. These are connected directly to the nave with Gothic-style pointed arches. Only one chapel opens by means of a Baroque-style pointed arch, and it is the second on the right side of the nave.

Instead, the work of Cosimo Fanzago is the transept, in Baroque style and with round arches. Among the various works two 14th-century funerary monuments dedicated in memory of royals Charles and Jeanne of Durazzo and Robert Artois stand out.

The back apse still retains influences of French Gothic, and its structure so unique and rare, from the radial chapels and the ambulatory opening behind high pillars and cross vaults, make it difficult to attribute the workmanship. The high altar, however, dates from the Renaissance, the work of Giovanni da Nola. The artist portrays in his paintings the Renaissance Naples that serves as a backdrop for the stories of the saints as in "The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, St. Francis with the Wolf of Gubbio, and St. Anthony Talking to the Fish." Statues of the three saints stand at the top of the altar.

At the side of this space is the Sepulchre of Catherine of Austria, the first work from Tino de Camaino's Neapolitan period. The monument is dedicated to the wife of King Robert of Anjou's son.

The Convent and Museum

The church is connected to the convent which, however, can be accessed from both the interior and exterior rooms. In fact, the main entrance is the marble portal that dates back to the second half of the 15th century. Interesting are the coats of arms and seats of the city of Naples displayed there, dating back to the 13th century.

Part of the convent is used as Museum of the Opera of San Lorenzo Maggiore where displays of ancient costumes and furnishings and private painting collections are kept. The museum also extends below the convent, encompassing an interesting archaeological area. These excavations date back to the first century and include the area of an ancient agora from the Greek era that was later transformed into a forum. Below the cloister, on the other hand, extended the part of the macellum (the marketplace) attached to the Roman forum.

The exterior features the cloister 18th century. At its center is the marble and piperno well that Cosimo Fanzago carved with great skill while along the walls are arranged other monuments.

Through the cloister you can access the refectory which, together with the Chapter House, represents the areas of the convent not covered by the museum. The spacious refectory preserves the "seven virtues" frescoed in the seventeenth century that a just and worthy ruler had to possess. This space became the seat of the Neapolitan Parliament during the 15th century.

The other original part of the convent is the Chapter House which dates back to the distant 11th century, also frescoed in the 17th century. This is where the monks would meet to administer the monastery as best they could, or town assemblies would take place.