A hundred beautiful, funny and sad tales about love. That is the Decameron - key work of the Italian Renaissance, created by Giovanni Boccaccio. The Czech Mint opened an extraordinary series of ten medals, as a tribute to the 700th anniversary of his birth, in 2013. Each of them is decorated not only with charm of precious metal, but also with the motif of one of the world-famous tales about love from this collection of lovely stories.

Fifth day in the Decameron is dedicated to the story of the falcon. Its owner was a nobleman Federigo, who was desperately in love with an honourable lady Monna Giovanna. He did everything to get her attention, he spent a fortune on feasts and tournaments until he went bankrupt. Only his falcon stayed with him, the best falcon in the world. The Monna’s son Giovanny became soon his friend and grew fond of the predator. It seemed to be a happy story, but suddenly the son fell ill. He begged his mother to bring him Federigo`s falcon in order to heal him. She would do anything to save her child and set out on a journey. She arrived just at lunchtime. The nobleman had nothing to offer and therefore he prepared the falcon for lunch. After lunch, when Monna Giovanna revealed her wish, Federigo cried and explained, that he could not help her. Her son could not be saved, but after some time she married Federigo.

The intriguing storyline is a beautiful demonstration of unique Boccaccio's narrative skills, and it definitely deserves its own issue within the popular series of silver medals. The reverse side of the coin is decorated with successfully realized relief of the three main characters of the story - Giovanni and Federigo during the fateful dinner, with the falcon flying over them. The motif, designed by the sculptor Vladimír Oppl, again incorporates an element included in all medals of the series - the tree of life. It is nicely completed by an erotic token called Roman Spintriae. The reverse side of the medal is formed by the portrait of Giovanni Boccaccio and the house in Certaldo, where the writer lived. Falcon, the medal made of pure silver, is the fifth mintage dedicated to the Decameron and also to the noblest emotion - love. Reserve the place of honor in your beautiful collections!