We are now in the fourth, no, already in the fifth week of our quarantine and we somehow seem to have lost our sense of time. We are preparing for the next three or four weeks - the curfew in Italy will most probably last until the end of April - and we try to take it easy.

We are still very concerned about the continuing alarming news from Northern Italy.

But slowly it seems that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Our Umbria region was saved by the curfew measures - and also many regions in the center and south of Italy, thank goodness.

We are infinitely grateful for that!

"Those who after being baffled by divers chances have won at last to a joyful issue beyond their hope"

And we have more good news too: finally Wolfgang is back !!

On the occasion of his arrival, we searched for a suitable story about "Happy homecoming" in the "Decameron" by Bocaccio, but did not really find anything.

Because most of the "homecomers", like Ulysses, had made their way through the beds of various widows and other beautiful women before they returned back home to wife and family.

Annette, in particular, did not quite like that idea ...

But we found the story of "Andreuccio da Perugia".

It is told in Boccaccio's "Decameron" on the second day, which is themed:

"Those who after being baffled by divers chances have won at last to a joyful issue beyond their hope"

Andreuccio is a Perugian trader who is badly played with in Naples, by a lady who pretends to be his sister. She lets him drop into a latrine and then she robs his belongings. With a "strong smell" around him he wanders around and falls into a well. Then two villains lock him in an archbishop's sarcophagus. But with his craftiness and with a bit of luck, he can free himself.
In the end, he returns to his Umbrian homeland with rich booty, a ruby ring.

If you want to read the whole story, you will find it HERE (on page 58)