Step 2 of 5

Retelling the novella

the tenth novella of the sixth day: Dioneo tells this novella, which takes place in Certaldo, about Fra Cipolla of the brotherhood of Saint Anthony. Certaldo is Boccaccio’s birthplace and Fra Cipolla literally means “brother onion” in Italian. In the novella, Fra Cipolla promises to show the churchgoers a relic, which he claims to be a feather from the angel Gabriel, left behind after the Annunciation. In this way he tries to fool the citizens of Certaldo and take advantage of them, because they have to give him money to take a look at the fake relics he shows them.