How we cite our quotes: (Day.Story.Page)
Quote #1
'[...] you will also discover that, even though Love is more inclined to take up his abode in a gay palace and a dainty bedchamber than in a wretched hovel, there is no denying that he sometimes makes his powers felt among pathless woods, on rugged mountains, and in desert caves; nor is this surprising, since all living things are subject to his say.' (III.10.274, Dioneo's tale of Alibech and Rustico)
We're talking about Love with a capital "L" here, the personified version that walks around shooting people through the eyes with arrows. Those arrows eventually make their way into the heart—and it doesn't matter what manner of person it seeks out. Love's a ruthless but democratic master. Love subdues people, who are helpless when they're smitten.
Quote #2
Moreover, whilst I have always striven to please you with all my might, henceforth I shall redouble my efforts towards that end, secure in the knowledge that no reasonable person will deny that I and other men who love you are only doing what is natural. And that in order to oppose the laws of nature, one has to possess exceptional powers, which often turn out to have been used, not only in vain, but to the serious harm of those who employ them. (IV.Introduction.290, Boccaccio writing)
Here it is from the horse's mouth. Boccaccio justifies his devotion to lifelong love for women as a natural force to be resisted at your own risk. We see over and over again in the stories what happens to lovers whose love is repressed or thwarted for one reason or another—they get sick or die.
Quote #3
Being very receptive to tales of gallant men, she lovingly treasured the various accounts that filtered through to her on the subject f Gerbino's valorous exploits, and was fascinated by them to such a degree that she formed a mental picture of the sort of man he was, falling passionately in love with him; and nothing gave her greater pleasure than to talk about Gerbino and to listen whenever his name was mentioned by others. (IV.4.321, Elissa's story of Gerbino, Introduction)
Elissa reminds us that there are many ways to fall in love. Love is so powerful that just hearing about someone's beauty or nobility can do the trick, especially if you yourself, like the lady in question, are noble of heart. This sounds a little like the kind of infatuation that people have for celebrities. The lovers in this story go to the ends of the earth for each other despite having never met, and are rewarded for their efforts by being murdered. If you think falling in love because of a person's back-story is weird, take another look at Shakespeare's Othello. It may not have ended well there either, but Desdemona's a sucker for a heroic tale.