Boccaccio, Giovanni

Italian Renaissance author. His place of birth is uncertain; he was either born in Paris or Florence as the illegitimate son of a Florentine merchant and a woman who may have been French. There is no doubt however, that he grew up in Florence. As a young man he was sent to Naples to learn business, but he soon abandoned trade for literature studies and he mixed in literary circles close to the Florentine court. His first work was dedicated to Fiammetta, a lady of royal descent, who may have been a certain Maria d'Aquino. There is now doubt that she in fact ever existed, but that does not detract from the fact that Boccaccio's experiences as a young man in Naples, especially his erotic adventures, influenced his later work and style.