Giovanni Boccaccio ( June 16 , 1313 - December 21 , 1375 ) was an Italian author and poet . He wrote several famous works , such as On Famous Women and the Decameron . Giovanni Boccaccio ( 1313 â `` 21 December 1375 ) was an Italian author and poet , a friend , student , and correspondent of Petrarch , an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron , On Famous Women , and his poetry in the Italian vernacular .