Alessio Interminei

Alessio Interminei appears in the second bolgia of the eighth circle of Hell, Malebolge, where flatterers are punished. He is one of the few named sinners in this ditch, and his brief encounter with Dante serves to illustrate the nature of the sin and its fitting punishment.

Identity and Appearance

Alessio Interminei is identified as a native of Lucca. When Dante first sees him, he is so covered in filth that it is unclear whether he is a layman or a cleric. The poet recognizes him by his dry hair, a detail that contrasts with the foulness of his current state. The sinner himself confirms his identity, stating, "I'm Alessio Interminei of Lucca."

Punishment and Contrapasso

The flatterers are immersed in a stream of human excrement, which Dante describes as "a filth that out of human privies seemed to flow." The contrapasso is clear: as flatterers used their tongues to praise others insincerely, they are now submerged in the literal waste of human speech. Alessio beats his own head with his hands, a gesture of self-loathing or futile cleansing, and explains, "The flatteries have submerged me here below, wherewith my tongue was never surfeited."

Narrative Role and Significance

Alessio's role is brief but emblematic. He is one of the few sinners in the second bolgia whom Dante recognizes, which allows the poet to directly name the sin and its punishment. His appearance also serves as a contrast to the other flatterer mentioned in the same bolgia, Thais, who is presented as a more archetypal figure. Alessio's specific identity as a Lucchese adds a local Florentine political dimension, as Lucca was a rival city. His punishment, like that of all the damned, is eternal and unchanging, a permanent state of degradation that mirrors the moral corruption of his earthly life.