The places of Boccaccio's literary tale: Port of Palermo
Site inserted in the Assets inserted in the places of Boccaccio's literary tale in the IWB register of the Sicily Region (The Places of the literary, cinematographic, television story) - Sector "The Places of Boccaccio's literary story
This is the list of places entered in the LIM register:
- (Decameron -V novella, 4th day) Messina
- (Decameron - II novella, 5th day) Lipari Island (Messina province)
- (Decameron - VI story, 5th day) Cuba Castle (Palermo)
- (Decameron - X novella, 8th day) Port of Palermo
- (Decameron - VII story, 10th day) Caltabellotta (province of Agrigento); Cefalù (prov. Palermo)
EIGHTH DAY - NOVELLA N.10
A Sicilian skillfully takes away from a merchant what he has brought to Palermo; he, pretending to be back with much more merchandise than before, took back his money, leaves it to water and capecchio.
The queen's tale made people laugh so much that they all soon had tears in their eyes.
As he finished, Dioneo, last to tell, said that jokes are more liked when a master of pranks is being mocked.
He intended, in fact, to tell a story in which the greatest teacher of mocking others was mocked.
There used to be in the past and in their time there was a custom in the seaside villages that had a port, according to which all the merchants who landed there had to unload their goods in a fondaco (warehouse), which was called customs. It belonged to the Commune or to the lord of those lands, the merchants gave the employees a list of the merchandise deposited there, with their value; then they locked the door.
The customs officers wrote all the merchandise in the customs book, reserving the right to pay the merchant all or part of it. From the customs book the brokers obtained information about the quality and quantity of the merchandise that were stored there and also about who the merchants were. With such merchants, then, if they wanted, they negotiated bartering, sales and other business.
This custom was also in Palermo, in Sicily, where in ancient times and even in those times there were beautiful-bodied females, but enemies of honesty, who by those who did not know them were considered very honest women.
They, dedicated not to gnawing but to skin the men, as they saw a foreign merchant, inquired at the customs of what he had and what he could do. Then, with pleasant and amorous acts, they lured them and made them fall in love. They had already attracted many, from whom they had taken away most of the merchandise, sometimes even all of them. Others, again, had lost not only the merchandise, but also the ship and had left the flesh and bones there, so much so that the barber had been able to use the razor.
Not long before, sent by his bosses, a young Florentine, called Niccolò da Cignano, nicknamed Salabaetto, arrived with so many woolen cloths that were left over at the Salerno fair, which could have been worth five hundred gold florins.
After paying the tax for those to the customs officers, he put them in a warehouse and, in no hurry to sell them, began to go around the city, to have fun.
He was a handsome blond and fit young man, one of those barbers, who called herself Madam Biancifiore, saw him and, having heard of him, she set her eyes on him.
The young man noticed this and, considering her a very beautiful woman, he thought he could lead, prudently, in that love. Without saying a word to anyone, he began to walk past her house.
Biancifiore, pretending to have fallen in love, sent him a female expert in the art of pimping, who, with tears in her eyes, told him that her beauty had conquered her mistress, who could find no peace neither night, nor day and she wanted to meet him at a bathroom, in secret. Having said that, she took a mistress ring from her purse and gave it to her.
Salabaetto, hearing those words, was the happiest man in the world. Taking the ring, he rubbed it on his eyes, kissed it, put it on his finger and replied that if Madonna Biancifiore loved her she was well rewarded, because he loved her more than his life and was willing to go wherever he wanted, at any time.
The messenger brought the answer to the mistress and soon told Salabaetto which bathroom he was to be in the next day, after vespers.
The young man, without saying anything to anyone, went at the appointed time to the bathroom that the woman had taken.
Shortly thereafter, two well-loaded slaves arrived; one carried a soft mattress on her head and the other a huge basket full of all the good things. Spreading the mattress on a litter tray, she put on it some very soft silk sheets and a blanket of very white Cyprus linen, wonderfully embroidered.
Then they both got undressed and went into the bathroom and cleaned it to perfection.
A little later the woman, with two other slaves, came to the bathroom. There he made a great feast in Salabaetto, embraced him, kissed him and told him that he had put fire in her soul. Then, both naked, they entered the bathroom with the two slaves. Here, without anyone touching him, she herself, with soap scented with musk and carnation, delicately washed Salabaetto, then let the slaves wash her.
This done, the slaves brought two very white and thin sheets, scented with rose; one enveloped the young man, the other the woman. Then they led them both to the bed, where, after they stopped sweating, they removed the towels, leaving them naked. Taking beautiful silver jars from the basket, some filled with rose water, some filled with orange blossom water, others filled with jasmine blossom water, they sprinkled them all. Finally they cheered them up with sweets and precious wines.
A Salabaetto seemed to be in Paradise, he looked at the woman in rapture and could not wait for the slaves to leave so that he could take her in his arms.
As soon as the slaves, at the command of the woman, left a small torch in the room, they went away, Biancofiore embraced the young man and he she, with great pleasure of Salabaetto, to whom it seemed that the woman was pining for him.
They stayed together for a long time, then the woman got up, called the slaves, got dressed and, drinking and eating, they refreshed themselves. Finally, the woman, before leaving, invited him to dinner at her house that evening.
Salabaetto, very taken by her beauty, believing he was loved by her, gladly accepted the invitation, promising to do whatever he wanted.
When she returned home, she had her room decorated beautifully and had an excellent dinner prepared, waiting for the young man. As soon as it got dark Salabaetto arrived and, with great feast and well served, dined.
After dinner, entering the room, he smelled a scent of aloe wood and various Cyprian essences and saw a beautiful decorated bed, which made him think that the woman must be rich and important. And, although he had heard murmurs about the woman from information he had gathered, he wanted to trust her and lay with her all night, very pleasantly.
In the morning she put in his hands a silver belt with a nice bag, telling him that she entrusted him with everything she had. Salabaetto happily embraced her, kissed her and, having left her house, went to the market, where the merchants used to go.
Later he met with her often, becoming more and more entangled.
One day he sold all his clothes for cash, making a good profit.
The good woman was immediately informed, not by him but by others.
When Salabaetto went to her, she welcomed him by embracing and kissing him, so inflamed that she seemed to want to die of love in her arms. He wanted to give him two beautiful silver cups which the young man refused to accept, knowing full well that each was worth at least thirty gold florins, without her having accepted even a penny. Finally, while pretending to be very much in love and disinterested, a slave of hers, as she was ordered, called her. She stayed a while outside the room, came back crying and, throwing herself on the bed, began to moan painfully.
Salabaetto, amazed, asked her the reason for her pain. She, after having been very begged, told him that she had received letters from Messina in which her brother asked her to sell and pledge everything they had in Palermo and to send him, within eight days, a thousand gold florins, otherwise she would have been cut off his head. He went on to say that he didn't know how to get that sum in such a short time. In fact, if he had had at least fifteen days, he could have procured many more, even if he had to sell some of his possessions. But unfortunately he could not and would have liked to die. Having said that, greatly saddened, she continued to cry.
Salabaetto, from whom love had taken away all sense, believing in tears and words, said “Madonna, I could give you not one thousand but five hundred gold florins, if it suits you, if you think you can give them back to me in fifteen days; luckily, just yesterday, I sold my clothes, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to lend you even a penny ”.
The woman, hearing that the young man had been without money for so long, said falsely that, if she had known, she would have gladly lent it to him, not a thousand, but certainly a hundred or two hundred.
Salabaetto replied that he could help her and would gladly do it.
Biancifiore, all coaxing and tears, replied that she was already his without that loan of money and would be even more so for the gratitude of having saved her brother's head. He added that he took that money unwillingly, needing it, with the hope of returning it to him as soon as possible, pledging, if necessary, all his things.
Salabaetto began to comfort her and stayed with her all night. In the morning, without waiting for any request from her, he brought her beautiful five hundred gold florins, which she accepted, smiling in her heart and weeping with her eyes, with a simple verbal promise of restitution.
As the woman got the money, her attitudes began to change. While before the young man went to the woman's house whenever he wanted, then a thousand excuses began to arrive, for which he had to show up seven times to be able to enter only once. He had no more parties and caresses than before.
Since more than two months had passed since the deadline set for the restitution of the money, he was only given words in payment.
Salabaetto, understood the woman's deception and his own stupidity, because he could not expect anything, having no written proof or witness, wept for the foolishness committed, sadder than ever.
Having received numerous letters from his masters asking for the money obtained from the sale of the cloths, he decided to leave, fearing to be discovered. Having boarded a small ship, he went not to Pisa but to Naples.
In Naples, at that time, there was their friend Pietro del Canigiano, treasurer of the empress of Constantinople, a man of great intelligence and subtle genius, a great friend of Salabaetto and his family. The young man told him everything that had happened to him, asking him for help and advice to be able to live decently, stating that he never intended to return to Florence again.
The Canigiano scolded him saying "You did wrong, you did not obey your teachers and you spent too much money on sweets, but now it is done, we need to find a remedy", E. as a wise man, said what he had to do to the young man, who he immediately decided to obey.
Having still some money and having lent him more, the Canigiano made many well-tied bales, bought another 20 barrels of oil, filled them up and, having loaded everything, went back to Palermo.
He entrusted the bales and the barrels to the customs officers and had everything written down, he had them put in the warehouses, saying that nothing should be touched, until the other merchandise, which was waiting for it, arrived.
Biancofiore was immediately informed, he knew that the goods were worth about two thousand gold florins, while the one that was to arrive was worth about three thousand.
The woman thought she had made little money, so she decided to give him back the five hundred florins in order to have most of the 5.000, so she sent for him.
Salabaetto, having become clever, went there.
She, pretending not to know anything about what he had brought, gave him a big party and asked him if he was worried because he had not returned his money on the due date.
The young man, laughing, said “Madonna, in truth I was a little sorry, as the one who would have taken his heart to give it to you, if you would have liked it. I want to tell you that it is so much love that I have for you that I have sold most of my possessions and I have brought here a lot of merchandise worth over 2.000 florins and I expect so much more from the West that will be worth at least 3.000. I intend to make a company here and to stop here to always be close to you ".
And the woman replied, “You see, Salabaetto, I really like your decision to stop here, because I love you more than my life, and I hope to stay with you for a long time. But I want to apologize because, before I left, sometimes you wanted to come to me and you could not, sometimes you came and were not welcomed happily, as you used to and, in addition to that, you did not return your money at the promised deadline. You must know that, at that time, I was in great pain and affliction and whoever finds himself in that condition, although he loves another very much, cannot devote many thoughts to whom he would like. Also, you need to know that it is very difficult for a woman to find 1.000 gold florins.
She is told a lot of lies every day without her getting what she was promised, so she is forced to lie to others. For that reason, for no other reason, I did not return your money. Shortly after I learned of your departure. If I had known where to send them to you I would have sent them to you, but, since I did not know, I have kept them for you “.
And, having a bag brought, where the money was, he handed it to him, telling him to count if there were all the 500 gold florins.
Salabaetto was delighted, he counted them, found that there were 500 and put them away. Then he thanked her and told her that, having collected the other money, he would be available for any other need she had.
Confirming that he is still in love, the young man resumed the love affair with Biancofiore, welcomed with great love and great honors.
But Salabaetto wanted to punish the deception immediately, deceiving the woman himself.
One day she sent him to invite him to dinner at her house and he went with a face so melancholy and sad that he seemed on the verge of death.
Biancofiore welcomed him by embracing and kissing him and asked him why he was so melancholy.
After much prayer, he said, “I am destroyed because the ship on which the merchandise I was waiting for was taken by the privateers of Monaco, who are demanding a ransom of 10.000 gold florins. I have to pay 1.000 and I have no money, because the 500 you returned to me I sent them to Naples for investments in canvases, to bring here. If I want to sell the merchandise I have here now, I will have to sell it off cheaply and get little or nothing out of it. Here I am not yet well known to find someone who can help me, so I don't know what to do and say. If I don't send the money, the merchandise will be taken to Monaco and I won't get anything back ”.
The woman, all saddened by the news, since she seemed to lose everything, thinking about what she could do to prevent the merchandise from going to Munich, said "God knows how sorry I am, if I had the money you need, I would lend it to you immediately, but I don't have them. It is true that there is a person who a few days ago lent me the 500 florins to return to you, but he lends to usury and wants thirty percent interest. If you wanted to turn to her, you should give a good pledge and I am ready to pledge all my possessions and myself to be able to serve you, but the rest, how will you get it? ".
Salabaetto immediately understood that the moneylender was the woman herself and his must be the money lent, he thanked her and said that he would never pay such a high interest, tightened by need. Instead, he wanted to leave the merchandise he had in customs as collateral, having it registered in the name of the person who would lend him the money. But he wanted to have the key to the warehouse, so he could show the wares if required, and to make sure nothing was changed or stolen.
The woman agreed that it was right.
On the appointed day she sent a broker she trusted, gave him 1.000 gold florins, which the broker lent to Salabaetto. The broker had the goods that the young man had in the warehouse written in his name; the contracts were completed, which were countersigned in perfect agreement, and everyone went about their business.
As soon as he could, Salabaetto returned to Naples to Pietro del Canigiano in a small boat with 1.500 gold florins. From there he sent to Florence to his masters an account of the clothes they had entrusted to him.
Having paid Pietro and all those to whom he owed something, for several days with the Canigiano he laughed at the deception done to the Sicilian.
Later, he stopped being a merchant and went to Ferrara.
Biancofiore, not finding Salabaetto in Palermo, became suspicious. After waiting a good two months, seeing that he wasn't coming, he called the broker and had the warehouses open. He first opened the barrels, which were believed to be full of oil, and, instead, found them full of sea water, each having a certain amount of oil on the opening.
Then, untying the bales, he found only two full of clothes, while all the others he found full of capecchio (fraying). In short, everything there was worth no more than 200 florins.
Biancofiore, considering herself a frigate, wept for the 500 florins, but even more for the thousand lent, often saying "Whoever has to do with a Tosco cannot be shady". That is, "Whoever has to do with a Tuscan cannot be blind".
And so she was left with the injury and the mockery, because she found one who knew as much as she did.
