Opening Night: Wondrous Boccaccio

Even with the Black Plague looming in the background, Tuscany has rarely looked as lovely as it does in this lively adaptation of The Decameron. In 14th-century Florence, a group of young women and men journey to the countryside in the hope of escaping the pestilence decimating the population. As a way of distracting themselves from the tragedy, they tell one another stories, one each day, most of which center around the theme of forbidden love. From the ribald tale of illicit goings on in a convent to the amusingly ironic chronicle of a painter who believes he is invisible to the moving parable of a poor falconer and the noblewoman he loves, the Taviani brothers fashion a richly appointed concoction of multiple narratives. Starring well-known Italian actors such as Kim Rossi Stuart and Riccardo Scamarcio alongside a passel of comely newcomers, Wondrous Boccaccio is a splendid reminder of the joys of storytelling and the verdant delights of Tuscany.