The New York herald., 1879-07-15
MEMORIAL TO BOCCACCIO.
GATHERING OF IrALc Ms AT cERrALDo IN
HONOR OF THE AUTHOR OF TIL De-
CAMERON"


HONOR OF THE AUTHOR OF TIL DE-
CAMERON" "
FLORENCE, June %. 1879.
The pleasant and populons neighDorhood OF Ger
taldo. well known by name at least all students
of Italian literature, yesterday the of a
minor national celebration. memorial was inaug-
urated with great pomp to Giovanni Boccaccio. one
of the immortal triumvirate which includes Dante
and Petrarch and who the pioneers of the great
revival of learning in the fifteenth century well
as the founders CT Italian literature The weather
was magnifcent-perhars too hot The day was
Sunday the one day which Italians are always ready
TO make into festival There is at Certaldo station
on the railroad between Florence and Sienna.
and SO the morning trains brought thousands
of visitors from both those cities and from
many Intervening places. The Chamber of Depu-
ties contributed several of its members; the unver-
stiles of Palermo and Padua, with both OF which
Boccaccio was connected specially represented.
The Academy of the Crusca. in Florence that body
which for four centuries has watched over the
purity of the Italian language. sent special depu-
tation to honor him who the father of Italian
prose. Florence. Sienna and the other neighboring
cities and towns of Tuscany all represented.
was told that fifty corporate bodies sent depu-
tations. The rendezvous at the "Palazzo del
Municipio." rather high sounding name for
unpretentious town hall. But the Sindaco,
Mayor. Of Certaldo assisted by his municipal coun
cilors received all comers with gracious courtesy
which may be native Italian civic dignitary but
which does not always find even in aldermen in
other lands. procession was then organized CONF
posed Of the municipal body and other leading per-
sonages Of Certaldo. and the deputations. There
were four very good bands, which played appropri-
ate music throughout the ceremonial. The process
sion halted at the small house. still in good preser-
walton. which belonged to the Boccaccio family, and
in which the great humanst himself spent many
years and finally died. select few permitted
to go through the small rooms in which he lived
and wrote several OF his immortal works.
THE PROCESSION TO THE MONUMENT. as
Hence the procession passed 10 the Piazza where
the monument has been erected. Here grafton
Boccaccios life and labors was delivered by DR..
Attilio Hortis. from Trieste. who is most distin-
guished explorer in the records of early Italian htera
ture Asymphony, specially composed tor the
sion by Panocchia then performed and it's last
bars sounded the coverings fell from the beautiful
monument. The memorial was designed and exc
cuted by Professor Augusta Passagla and has given
general satisfaction. In the evening there
banquet given by the committee to the distinguished
visitors. Here awkward incident occurred. Sig-
nor Tag acarne the Chief Judge of the Court at San
Miniato neighboring town, speaking to patriotic
toast, uttered sentiments of very ultra kind.
strongly savoring of the "Ialia Irredenta." Some
government officials were present. and the elnbar-
rassment of the audience was manifested by the
chilling silence with which the glowing words were
heard. Otherwise nothing occurred to mar the gen.
eral jubiation in which the day passed. finish
ing with general illumination and fireworks
Giovanni Boccaccio, the first great Italian prose
writer who has never been surpassed for idiomatic
purity, simplicity and picturesq queness of STYLE
born at Paris in 1916, whore his father DOM
iciled as merchant OF Italian goods and had mar
ried Frenchwoman. Thus one of the great franz
ers of the Italian language had French mother
The father wished that the son should take up his
lucrative business but the young Giovanni did not
take kindly to silks and velvets, but had hanker-
ing after books. the only road by which plebian
tion unless he took to soldering. the
chances of which were precarious At last the
| lad made his way to Naples where he soon found
home and patrons ut the royal court then the focus
of all the wit and grace and polished excellence OF
civilization They the last years of the famous
Norman dynasty, and its decay was surrounded
| with a halo OF brilancy which concealed its ap-
proaching extinction. Here Boccaccio composed
although then they made him famous. He at
Florence during the great plague of 1341 of which
he has left us in the preface to the Decamerone an
account, which will never be surpassed for power
allied to simple beauty OF style and pathos OF narra
tive. This work he composed III great part when
little over thirty years OF age. henceforward
he looked up to throughout Italy as
master. Petrarch claimed his friendship and
the two became most closely united At Padua
he gave lectures on Dantes great work, being the
first public and professed commentator on the divine
poem. Having achieved a competence he retired to
Certaldo the original seat Of his family and spent
there the last OF his life dying at the OF
sixty 1875. He Is certainly far behind the soaring
genius of Dante and decidedly interior to Petrarch
But he has his excellences, in which he is un-
approachable. He undoubtedly fashioned Italian
prose and fixed forever the linguistic and idiomatc
form OF its developments. Not without good reason
him with those other two luminaries who preceded
him, binding Dante Petrarch and Boccaccio into that
brilliant literary constellation which will continue
to be known to all future ages as "II TriumUirao