In March 1348, an unknown disease from the East reached Florence. The city then had an estimated population of about ninety-three thousand, according to Giovanni Villani. By the end of September that same year, the plague had claimed between fifteen thousand lives, based on Villani’s more conservative estimates, to as many as three-fifths of the population, according to the harsher calculations of Matteo Villani.

This dark and tragic chapter of medieval Florentine history is vividly illuminated by the extraordinary firsthand testimony of Giovanni Boccaccio in The Decameron. In his work, Boccaccio provides an invaluable historical account, painting the picture of a Florence that appears almost apocalyptic. He begins by describing how the plague, which had spread across Europe, manifested itself: it produced swellings known as buboes, or “gavoccioli”, and led to death within three days. This form differed from the one reported in Asia, where the illness caused heavy bleeding from the nose and mouth.

Perhaps the most striking part of Boccaccio’s testimony lies in his description of the Florentine population’s reactions to the overwhelming mortality. Some fled the city, seeking refuge in food and wine, much like the characters in The Decameron, while others wandered through the streets in a constant state of drunkenness. Desperation gave rise to countless so-called doctors who claimed to have discovered miraculous cures, which, of course, always proved ineffective.

Social order collapsed. The sick were abandoned by their own families and left to die alone, often denied even the dignity of proper burial. Funerals and burials were performed hastily, with multiple bodies interred in common graves, reflecting the deep despair gripping the city.

Boccaccio concludes his testimony by recounting the immediate aftermath of the plague. Properties left behind by the dead passed to far fewer heirs than before, creating a climate of unexpected abundance and prosperity for the survivors.