Abstract
Among the many collections of tales written in the 16th century in Italy based on the model of Boccaccio’s Decamerone, Le giornate delle novelle dei novizi by the Sienese Pietro Fortini are still relatively unknown, although they may be regarded as an expression of the peculiar cultural situation of Siena in the late Renaissance. This work is distinguished by a persistent display of the Sienese spirit as regards language and content, and is also a treasure house of microtoponyms referring to Siena and of Sienese variants of antroponyms (Margarita or Bennardino, instead of the Florentine Margherita and Bernardino). Proper names are sometimes linked to the classic model of Boccaccio, or used to transmit comic effects.