The Decameron is a collection of 100 novellas, or short tales, that was written in the fourteenth century by the Italian poet Giovanni Boccaccio. The Black Death, which wreaked havoc on Italy in the middle of the fourteenth century, serves as the setting for the story. The Decameron is organized around a framing story in which 10 young people—seven ladies and three men—escape from Florence during the Black Death and seek safety in a rural house. They decide to pass the time by exchanging tales over the period of 10 days, each telling one tale each day. A variety of topics, such as love, passion, adultery, retaliation, and deceit are covered in the tales. They provide insights into the social and cultural conventions of medieval Italy and are often amusing, bawdy, and sarcastic.