Le novelle del Decameron – Italian Reader A2–B1
12 Selected Short Stories Rewritten in Easy and Modern Italian for Beginners and Intermediate Learners (A2–B1)
Adapted by Laura Tegazzin and Simplicio Stella
Discover twelve entertaining stories from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron. Clever tricks, surprising reversals, love, desire and sharp humour come together in a collection adapted for learners who want to enjoy Italian literature in accessible language.
Discover Boccaccio’s Decameron
Written in the fourteenth century, the Decameron is one of the foundational works of Italian prose. It contains one hundred stories told by ten young people who leave Florence to escape the devastating plague of 1348. In their refuge in the countryside, they pass the time telling tales about love, fortune, human weakness and ingenuity.
Boccaccio’s world is full of recognizable characters: merchants and nobles, husbands and wives, lovers and tricksters, monks and nuns, servants and ordinary townspeople. Their adventures can be romantic, dramatic, irreverent or extremely funny.
Rather than portraying people as flawless heroes, Boccaccio delights in their contradictions. Some characters use intelligence to escape danger, while others are deceived by their own greed, jealousy or vanity. The stories often end with a clever twist that changes the reader’s expectations.
These twelve selected novellas introduce learners to the extraordinary vitality of the Decameron without requiring them to read the entire collection.
Twelve Stories Adapted for A2–B1 Learners
Boccaccio’s medieval Italian differs considerably from the language used today. The original syntax, vocabulary and cultural references make the text especially challenging for readers who are still developing their Italian.
This edition presents twelve selected stories rewritten in simple, modern Italian for students at the A2–B1 levels of the CEFR. The adaptations aim to preserve the plots, characters, wit and essential meaning of the original tales while making the language easier to understand.
Each novella is divided into chapters and accompanied by a glossary, a summary and questions that help readers review what they have understood. These features support vocabulary learning and make it possible to read independently, one story at a time.
The short-story format offers an additional advantage: every novella is a complete narrative, with new characters and a different situation. Readers can finish one story, take a break and return to the book whenever they wish.
Why Read This Book?
- Read twelve complete stories instead of isolated textbook passages.
- Practise vocabulary and grammar in meaningful narrative contexts.
- Explore humour, irony, love and cleverness in medieval Italian literature.
- Use glossaries, summaries and questions to support comprehension.
- Make steady progress by reading one novella at a time.
Who Is This Book For?
This graded reader is suitable for elementary and intermediate learners at A2–B1 level who want to practise reading longer Italian texts.
It can be used for independent study, reading groups or lessons introducing Italian literature and culture. The variety of stories also makes the collection a useful starting point for classroom discussion.
Start Reading Le novelle del Decameron
Download the free PDF sample or find the complete collection of twelve stories on Amazon.