Giovanni Boccaccio wrote Day 10, Story 10, also known as the story of Griselda, as the final tale in his Decameron. This story takes place in a town south of Turin, Italy, and revolves around the tale of an Italian Marquis of Saluzzo named Gualtieri, who is plagued with the responsibility to produce an heir to continue his bloodline as the leader of his people, a problem that he chooses to solve by marrying a peasant woman named Griselda.
Certaldo, Italy - Casa del Boccaccio; Giovanni Boccaccio [1313-1375]
Much like Gualtieri, Italian writer and poet, Giovanni Boccaccio managed to create his own legacy through his life and works which since then have become some of the greatest historical features of his hometown of Certaldo, Italy. Found on Via Boccaccio, within the heart of Certaldo, buildings such as Boccaccio’s very own home have been turned into museums to pay homage to one of Italy’s most prominent literary figures. Casa del Boccaccio was Boccaccio’s childhood home since the early 13th century. It was restored in 1823, although the original structure of the home was damaged on January 15, 1944, due to an airstrike during World War II. Since then, the house has been rebuilt and renovated to preserve the illustrious works of the poet, including furniture and various illustrated editions of the Decameron that survived the war. Other objects that can be found within the small museum include a collection of late 14th to early 15th-century women’s shoes, the fresco painting of Boccaccio by painter Benvenuti housed within “the poet’s room," and various geographical, historical, and cultural exhibitions dedicated to Boccaccio’s time. Lastly, housed within Boccaccio’s home is the tombstone plate of the poet, although the actual poet’s remains reside in another tomb located in the Chiese dei Santi Jacopo e Filippo, known as the Church of St. Jacopo and Filippo, also located in Certaldo.
Fitchburg, MA - Fitchburg Art Museum; Eleanor Norcross [1854-1923]
New England, though in many ways different from Certaldo, Italy, contains many museums that house a tremendous amount of history. One such museum is the Fitchburg Art Museum, located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Like many other cultural heritage sites like Casa del Boccaccio, we can thank legacy for its existence. The Fitchburg Art Museum owes its creation to its founder, Ella Augusta, better known as Eleanor Norcross. Eleanor Norcross much like Boccaccio grew up in the town for which she is famous. From an early age her parents, who were also influential Fitchburg residents, supported her pursuits in the arts, painting, and art collecting. Her father, Amasa Norcross, survived both Eleanor’s mother and younger brother, resulting in a strong relationship with his only daughter. Due to his influence, Eleanor went on to study fine arts in Paris, France, through which she then became the avid painter we know today. This was not enough, however. Eleanor wanted to share her appreciation for the arts and the collections that inspired her with all her fellow Fitchburg residents. It was through this goal that the Fitchburg Art Museum was born, first as the Fitchburg Art Center (1929) and later on as the current museum. Much like Boccaccio, though Eleanor never lived to see the result of her dream realized, or the effects of her inspiration, her legacy lives on through those who have chosen to preserve her memory and work. As a result, through a translation of her vision, her collection has grown and will continue to do so, so long as cultural heritage continues to be of importance.
Giovanni Boccaccio is the author of the famous Decameron. He was born in 1313 in Certaldo or Florence, Italy; the exact location is unknown. He died December 21st, 1375. His gravestone is located inside the Church of Saints Jacob and Filippo in Certaldo, Italy. After the death of his father and stepmother due to the plague, Boccaccio began the composition of the Decameron. In the Decameron, Boccaccio focuses on numerous ideas throughout, but one specific idea is the focus on fortune and disability in Day 2, Story 1. Day 2, Story 1 is a story about a man named Martellino, who pretends to be visibly crippled in order to enter a heavily-packed church of a saint who has just deceased. Everyone makes a pathway for Martellino in order for him to be ‘healed’ by the saint for his disability, but someone in the crowd notices him and everyone starts to kick and fight him for lying about his disability.
Joseph Palmer was born in 1789 in a village between Leominster and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He was persecuted at the age of forty because of his beard. Palmer died in 1873. This persecution made such an impact on his life and is so widely known that it is engraved on his gravestone. Boccaccio also has writing on his gravestone, which he composed himself before he died. Palmer was persecuted because in the year 1830 citizens went as far as attacking Palmer with razor blades outside of a hotel in an attempt to cut off his beard. Palmer defended himself, rightfully so, and was sent to Worcester County Jail. During this time period, beards were considered the mark of lunatics. It is interesting how going against the social norms and having a beard enraged people enough to attack him and try to cut off his beard. Palmer was also attacked while in jail and continuously defended himself; they placed him in solitary confinement numerous times. During the Medieval period, disability was sometimes something that needed correction or needed to be cured. It is also known for using the “religious model,” which replaces medicine with religion.
The connection Palmer and the character Martellino in the Decameron is how both were attacked due to not following social norms, but there are complex differences in their situations. In the Decameron, Martellino is only attacked because he lied about his disability; the civilians wanted Martellino to be healed. They wanted Martellino to be healed because it goes against the social norm during that time period of accepting someone who is a cripple. They relied on religion as medicine in order to change that. Their beliefs in this method were very strong, so the fact that someone would mock their beliefs and not respect the process they believed in was problematic. In Joseph Palmer’s case, not only was he considered to be a lunatic just because of his long facial hair, he was also accused of communing with the devil by his local preacher. It is interesting how hundreds of years later you can still be attacked for not following the social norms of the time period and how society takes action into their own hands in order to correct what they believe to be wrong, even authorities.