the first part of The Divine Comedy, the greatest work by the Italian poet, Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321). The Divine Comedy is an epic recounting an imaginary journey by the author through Inferno (hell), Purgatorio (purgatory) and Paradiso (paradise). In the Inferno a description of hell is given as being made up of different levels, including a level of fire and one of ice, which descend conically into the earth. —PDC Volume 4 Approved Glossary