Modena

Modena enters the narrative as a point of departure in the account of Messer Gentile de' Carisendi's rescue of a woman buried for dead. Its brief mention places him on the way to the episode, but the story does not locate the rescue itself there.

Appearance in the Story

The tale's synopsis says that Messer Gentile comes from Modena and takes from a sepulchre a woman he loves, who has been buried under the mistaken belief that she is dead. Restored to life, she bears a son; Messer Gentile then returns her and the child to her husband, Niccoluccio Caccianimico.

Narrative Significance

Modena supplies a concrete geographical point of origin, while the decisive action occurs at the woman's sepulchre and concludes with her return to her husband and child. The account gives no further description of Modena or of events there; its significance in this episode is the brief placement of Messer Gentile's arrival within the story's sequence.