Is Netflix's The Decameron based on true story? Explained

All 8 episodes of The Decameron, the latest medieval black comedy on Netflix, were released on July 25, 2024. The show is set in Florence in 1348. During this period, Europe was devastated by the Black Death which wiped out a major portion of its population.

In The Decameron, some nobles and their servants take refuge in the countryside Villa Santa where they intend to wait out the plague. They keep themselves busy with stories, adventures, and even fights. The official synopsis of the series reads:

“As the bubonic plague spreads through Italy, a group of nobles and servants retreats to a villa, where their lavish getaway quickly spirals into chaos.”

While the setting of the series is a true chapter in European history, the events portrayed in The Decameron are not based on true stories. The series is inspired by the 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio’s book of the same name.

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The Decameron is not based on a true story

In the book by the medieval author Boccaccio, the narrative method of frame story is followed. The first layer of the narrative shows a group of nobles and their servants fleeing the plague-infested Florence to take shelter in the countryside of Fiesole for two weeks.

The second layer of the narrative follows the nobles telling each other stories every day, to pass the time and entertain themselves.

The Netflix series is inspired by the first layer of Boccaccio’s work. The bubonic plague pandemic called the Black Death, which wreaked havoc in Europe from 1346 to 1353, forms the setting in both works. Thus, the setting of the Netflix series is indeed based on a true event.

However, the overall plot of the show is not based on real-life characters or surrounding events. The series does not engage with the individual stories told by the characters in the book.

Instead, Netflix’s The Decameron shows the assembled characters having a fun, if chaotic, time until several characters show up calling themselves the rightful heir of the castle. Talking about the creative liberties taken in the making of the series, showrunner Kathleen Jordan told Tudum on July 23, 2024:

“I can’t wait for people to meet this ridiculous group of characters. I’m sure Giovanni Boccaccio would be ... confused?”

While it is true that the series deviates from the book and is not based on true events, The Decameron, however, is a show that deals with something fresh in people’s minds — a pandemic. The series depicts how a group of affluent people could protect themselves from the dire consequences of a plague.

Commenting on this thematic focus of The Decameron, Jordan added:

“And when at times of crisis, the chasm between the haves and the have-nots grows wider and wider. Obviously, that’s something we’ve seen in the last few years, in particular with COVID.”

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What is Netflix's The Decameron about?

Florence in 1348, like the other cities in Europe, was ravaged by the Black Death, a bubonic plague. It was spread by fleas carried by rats (this is referenced in the series by the trails of rats shown in the intro). To get away from the city, a group of nobles and their servants pack things up and go to Villa Santa.

Upon arriving there, they discover that the owner of the castle, Leonardo, is dead. However, they soon make themselves at home. As they pass their time in frivolities, disaster strikes when several people, including some mercenaries, arrive at the castle and start claiming their legal ownership of the same.

The Decameron is not only about a plague but also about how the experiences of different groups of people vary during one. It has real-life resonances with the COVID-19 phenomenon that similarly brought the world to a standstill a few years ago.

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List of episodes, and cast

The following table lists the 8 episodes of the series along with their names:

Episode number	Episode name
1	The Beautiful, Not-Infected Countryside
2	Holiday State of Mind
3	By Homer, It's a Winner's Wreath!
4	The Mood Is Soiled
5	Switcheroo
6	A Stony Brook Away
7	This Is Awful, And You'll Never Recover
8	We’ve Had a Good Cry

The cast of the series includes:

• Zosia Mamet as Pampinea
• Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Misia
• Tanya Reynolds as Licisca
• Amar Chadha-Patel as Dioneo
• Leila Farzad as Stratilia
• Lou Gala as Neifile
• Karan Gill as Panfilo
• Tony Hale as Sirisco

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The Decameron is currently streaming on Netflix.