Cimitero Monumentale di Milano, Milan, Italy

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 with a wide range of contemporary and classical Italian sculptures as well as Greek temples, elaborate obelisks, and other original works such as a scaled-down version of the Trajan's Column. Many of the tombs belong to noted industrialist dynasties, and were designed by artists such as Adolfo Wildt, Giò Ponti, Arturo Martini, Dante Parini, Lucio Fontana, Medardo Rosso, Giacomo Manzù, Floriano Bodini, and Giò Pomodoro.

The main entrance is through the large Famedio, a massive Hall of Fame-like Neo-Medieval style building made of marble and stone that contains the tombs of some of the city's and the country's most honored citizens, including that of novelist Alessandro Manzoni.

The Civico Mausoleo Palanti designed by the architect Mario Palanti is a tomb built for meritorious 'Milanesi', or citizens of Milan. The memorial of about 800 Milanese killed in Nazi concentration camps is located in the center and is the work of the group BBPR, formed by leading exponents of Italian rationalist architecture that included Gianluigi Banfi.

The cemetery has a special section for those who do not belong to the Catholic religion and a Jewish section.

Near the entrance there is a permanent exhibition of prints, photographs, and maps outlining the cemetery's historical development. It includes two battery-operated electric hearses built in the 1920s.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Joan Tarragona (18 months ago)
It is an outdoor museum. Even though it is not very famous like the Duomo or the Vittorio Emanuele II galleries, if you visit Milano, you must go there. You will see art and respect. I recommend to spend time in the building at the entrance, with a fantastic decoration in the ceiling and the walls.

Pancasatya Agastra (19 months ago)
The most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen.

Matteo Perini (19 months ago)
This was such a magical and unusual place! The buildings themselves are stunning, and you can find very known people buried here. What is more interested to do is to walk around the stunning pieces of art you can find everywhere, I will definitely go again to see it more

Maria Munck (20 months ago)
Definitely worth a visit! Not comparable to any cemetery I’ve seen before, make sure you go there while visiting Milan. Mind the opening hours (closed on mondays!!).

Omar El Alami (21 months ago)
Beautiful cemetery. Really worth a slow walk on a nice-weathered day. The architecture is breath-taking, and the sculpted statues on top of the graves left me speechless because of how realistic they looked. A real soothing experience.

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