Ermino de’ Grimaldi appears in Lauretta’s first tale (I, 8), where he appears to be a fictionalized character based on a historical family, the ancient and powerful Genoese Grimaldis. He is an extremely wealthy miser who spends as little of his fortune on himself and others as he can. He thus represents the antithesis of the noble generosity celebrated throughout The Decameron and must learn the error of his ways from Guiglielmo Borsiere.