The narrator of the story, Bucino is a dwarf who lives with Fiammetta. He works as her business manager, overseeing appointments, balancing accounts, and taking care of the other day-to-day necessities of the house. Nevertheless, when needed, he can call upon his early days as a street performer to juggle and otherwise entertain clients. The bond between Bucino and Fiammeta is quite strong, though their equally fierce personalities can clash from time to time. Bucino is also ambitious and protective of Fiammetta, and gets upset when she falls in love with a young client, fearing it will damage the business (and, perhaps, slightly jealous himself). A horror to his father, Bucino went to live with an uncaring uncle as a child but ran away when he was required to become engaged to a deformed woman. Though a dwarf himself, Bucino is disgusted by others with disabilities, and is often surprised by his own appearance in the mirror, when he comes across it. Furthermore, he is terrified of water, because of something a fortune-teller once told him: this fear turns out to be well-founded when he nearly drowns in one of Venice's canals. Bucino is a proud, courageous, and sometimes obstinate character who does all he can to protect those he loves.
