“Let's talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs;
Make dust our paper and with rainy eyes
Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth"
Debate over what constitutes appropriate design for cemeteries dates back to Victorian times. Before the mid-19th century, people were buried in churchyards, and those who could afford a headstone would most likely have one carved by a local stonemason. But as we moved out of the Victorian era, death became more of a democracy and the new urban cemeteries were professionally landscaped, serving a dual function as public parks for the living and opportunities for the wealthier dead to express their individuality. Today we seem to be moving in two diverging directions again, with an increasing number of us choosing the relative invisibility of cremation or natural burial beneath the trees, while others prefer a monument.
Regardless of personal choice, it cannot be denied that some cemeteries are awe-inspiring, luring visitors with a combination of natural beauty, ornate tombstones and crypts, notable residents, vivid history and even poetry. Il Cimitero Monumentale di Milano is definitely one of them. It makes an ideal location to slowly stroll around observing the artistic tombs and monumental graves spread in an area of 250,000 square metres.
Architect Carlo Maciachini designed it as a walking space, not only a burial site. Also, many of the graves have been designed by renowned artists such as Giò Ponti, Arturo Martini, Lucio Fontana, Medardo Rosso, Giacomo Manzù, Floriano Bodini, and Giò Comodoro.
The cemetery is divided into three very different areas: the central one for the Catholics, the left section for those who do not belong to the Catholic religion, and a Jewish section to the right.
The main entrance is through the large Famedio ("temple of fame"), 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, Delio Tessa, Alda Merini or Giovanni Raboni. You will be shocked by the electric blue octogonal cuppola, which provides a stark contrast to the white marble on the walls.
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| O forse la felicità è solo degli altri, d’un altro tempo, d’un’altra vita e a noi non è possibile che recitarla come viene viene, a soggetto, ostinandoci a inseguire la parte di noi stessi in un vecchio, bizzarro canovaccio senza capo né coda... |
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| Si fan grigi i miei capelli... e che importa? Ciò che il cuore impara, non passa, e non muore. Rivive nei figli e nei figli... e non muta. Lo spirito non ha tempo, e ha i capelli tutti neri, sempre |
The most impressive part is outdoors, though. You are walking around a burial site, but it is more like the city of death: the tombs are so impressive and beautifully decorated that they look like buildings. In fact, several have crypts which were used as bunkers during World War II, so you can imagine their dimensions!
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| Jewish cemetery (I) |
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| Jewish cemetery (II) |
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| Jewish cemetery (III) |
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| Jewish cemetery (IV) |
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| Jewish cemetery (V) |
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| Am I the only one who sees a weird shape here? |
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| La Casa del Sonno di Adolfo Wildt |
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| Edicola famiglia Campari (L'ultima cena) |
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| Edicola famiglia Bernocchi |
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| Monumento Goglio di Arnaldo Pomodoro |
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| Monumento Goglio (dettaglio) |
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| Famiglia Besenzanica |
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