Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Italy
Scaliger Tombs
The Scaliger Tombs is a group of five Gothic funerary monuments in Verona, celebrating the Scaliger family, who ruled in Verona from the 13th to the late 14th century. The tombs are located in a court of the church of Santa Maria Antica, separated from the street by a wall with iron grilles. Built in Gothic style, they are a series of tombs, most of which are in the shape of a small temple and covered by a baldachin. Acc ...
Founded: c. 1329 |
Location:
Verona, Italy
Pyramid of Cestius
The Pyramid of Cestius is an ancient pyramid in Rome. Due to its incorporation into the city's fortifications, it is today one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome. The pyramid was built about 18–12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a magistrate and member of one of the four great religious corporations in Rome, the Septemviri Epulonum. The sharply pointed shape of the pyramid is strongly reminiscent of the p ...
Founded: 18-12 BC |
Location:
Rome, Italy
Cimitero Monumentale di Milano
The Cimitero Monumentale is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan, the other one being the Cimitero Maggiore. It is noted for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments. Designed by the architect Carlo Maciachini (1818–1899), it was planned to consolidate a number of small cemeteries that used to be scattered around the city into a single location. Officially opened in 1866, it has since then been filled ...
Founded: 1866 |
Location:
Milan, Italy
Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte
Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte is a set of world-famous steps in Caltagirone. It was built in 1606 in order to connect the ancient part of Caltagirone to the new city built in the upper part. The staircase, over 130 meters long, is flanked by balcony buildings and is today one of the identifying monuments of the city. In 1844, the staircase underwent modifications, among which the elimination of rest areas stands out ...
Founded: 1606 |
Location:
Caltagirone, Italy
Mausoleum of Valerius Romulus
Valerius Romulus (c. 292/295 - 309) was the son of the Caesar and later usurper Maxentius and of Valeria Maximilla, daughter of Emperor Galerius. He was buried in a tomb along the Via Appia. The restored tomb stands within a grand sporting arena known as the Circus of Maxentius, itself part of a broader imperial complex built by the emperor Maxentius in the early fourth century AD.
Founded: 309 AD |
Location:
Rome, Italy
Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo (Catacombe dei Cappuccini) are burial catacombs. Today they provide a somewhat macabre tourist attraction as well as an extraordinary historical record. Palermo"s Capuchin monastery outgrew its original cemetery in the 16th century and monks began to excavate crypts below it. In 1599 they mummified one of their number, recently dead brother Silvestro of Gubbio, and placed hi ...
Founded: 1599 |
Location:
Palermo, Italy
Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju
The necropolis of Anghelu Ruju is an archaeological site located in the town of Alghero. It is the largest necropolis of pre-Nuragic Sardinia. The necropolis was discovered accidentally in 1903 during the excavations for the construction of a farmhouse. In that occasion were found a human skull and a tripod vessel. Following these discoveries, the archaeologist Antonio Taramelli effected, the following year, the first ex ...
Founded: 3200-1600 BCE |
Location:
Alghero, Italy
Catacombs of Commodilla
Catacombs of Commodilla, on the Via Ostiensis, contain one of the earliest images of a bearded Christ. They originally held the relics of Saints Felix and Adauctus. The hypogeum leading to the catacombs was built in the fourth century. The catacombs were used for burials until the sixth century. Later, as happened to other Christian underground cemeteries, it was transformed into a place of worship of martyrdom: restorati ...
Founded: 4th century AD |
Location:
Rome, Italy
Catacomb of Callixtus
The Catacomb(s) of Callixtus is one of the Catacombs of Rome on the Appian Way, most notable for containing the Crypt of the Popes, which once contained the tombs of several popes from the 2nd to 4th centuries. The Catacomb is believed to have been created by future Pope Callixtus I, then a deacon of Rome, under the direction of Pope Zephyrinus, enlarging pre-existing early Christian hypogea. Callixtus himself was entomb ...
Founded: 2nd century AD |
Location:
Rome, Italy
Redipuglia World War I Memorial
Redipuglia is the largest Italian Military Sacrarium. It rises up on the western front of the Monte Sei Busi, which, in the First World War was bitterly fought after because, although it was not very high, from its summit it allowed an ample range of access from the West to the first steps of the Karstic table area. The monumental staircase on which the remains of one hundred thousand fallen soldiers are lined up and whi ...
Founded: 1938 |
Location:
Redipuglia, Italy
Giants' Grave of Coddu Vecchiu
Coddu Vecchiu is a Nuragic funerary monument located near Arzachena, dating from the Bronze Age. The site consists of a stele, stone megaliths and a gallery grave, and is one of the larger Nuragic Giants' graves on the island. The Nuraghe La Prisgiona is located nearby. The site was excavated in 1966 by Editta Castaldi. Among the artifacts recovered were pans, bowls and plates with comb decoration, as well as vases with ...
Founded: 1800-1600 BCE |
Location:
Arzachena, Italy
Necropolis of Pantalica
The Necropolis of Pantalica is a collection of cemeteries with rock-cut chamber tombs in southeast Sicily. Dating from the 13th to the 7th centuries BC., there was thought to be over 5,000 tombs, although the most recent estimate suggests a figure of just under 4,000. Together with the city of Syracuse, Pantalica was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. In the 13th century BC, some Sicilian coastal settlements ...
Founded: 13th century BCE |
Location:
Sortino, Italy
Sant'Andrea Priu Necropolis
The necropolis of Sant"Andrea Priu is an archaeological site located on the south side of the fertile plain of Saint Lucia, in the municipality of Bonorva. The complex, one of the most important of the island, is composed of twenty domus de janas; one of them with its eighteen rooms appears to be one of the largest hypogean tombs of the Mediterranean basin. The necropolis is located on the front of a trachytic out ...
Founded: 3500-2900 BCE |
Location:
Bonorva, Italy
Catacombs of Domitilla
Close to the Catacombs of San Callisto are the large and impressive Catacombs of Domitilla (named after Saint Domitilla), spread over 15 kilometres of underground caves. The Domitilla Catacombs are unique in that they are the oldest of Rome's underground burial networks, and the only ones to still contain bones. They are also the best preserved and one of the most extensive of all the catacombs. Included in their passage ...
Founded: 2nd century AD |
Location:
Rome, Italy
Porta d'Ossuna Catacombs
The Catacombs of Porta d"Ossuna were built by early Christians around 4th and 5th centuries AD. They were founded in 1739.
Founded: 4th century AD |
Location:
Palermo, Italy
Tomb of Archimedes
In the northeast corner of the Archaeological Park there is a long street strewn with graves from the Greek, Roman and Byzantine periods, which were carved into the limestone cliffs here. Among them there is also the famous 'tomb of Archimedes', which can be recognized easily by its gabled façade. According to legend, the famous mathematician, who died during the Roman siege of Syracuse in 212 BC, is buried her ...
Founded: 212 BCE |
Location:
Syracuse, Italy
Catacomb of Priscilla
The Catacomb of Priscilla on the Via Salaria was used for Christian burials from the late 2nd century through the 4th century. This catacomb, according to tradition, is named after the wife of the Consul Manius Acilius Glabrio; he is said to have become a Christian and was killed on the orders of Domitian. Some of the walls and ceilings display fine decorations illustrating Biblical scenes. The modern entrance to the cat ...
Founded: 2nd century AD |
Location:
Rome, Italy
Tomba dei giganti di Li Lolghi
Tomba dei giganti di Li Lolghi is a burial chamber which probably dates back to the period included between 1800-1200 BCE. Like the tomb of Coddu Vecchiu, it was built in two different phases for different uses: during the Nuragic Age the original Dolmen, high a bit less than 4m and probably belonging to the Bonannaro"s culture, was linked to a 10m corridor made up by stones stuck in the ground vertically. This new ...
Founded: 1800-1200 BCE |
Location:
Arzachena, Italy
Gigantic Tomb of Pascaredda
Tomba dei giganti di Pascaredda dates from the Bronze Age (1700-1400 BCE). The well-preserved site consists of about twenty stones and is 18 m long.
Founded: 1700-1400 BCE |
Location:
Calangianus, Italy
Necropolis of Li Muri
The necropolis of Li Muri is an archaeological site located in the municipality of Arzachena. The necropolis, thought to be a product of the Arzachena culture and dating from the second half of the fourth millennium BC, is composed of five stone cists. Four of the cists are surrounded by stone circles that originally marked the limits of the mound of earth and rubble that was erected over the burial. Bodies were int ...
Founded: 3500 BCE |
Location:
Arzachena, Italy