The Cimitero Monumentale ( " Monumental Cemetery") is one of the two largest cemeteries in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, 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 temple Greek temples (, semantically distinct from Latin , " temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, since the sacrifices and ritu ...

s, elaborate

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

s, 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, Agenore Fabbri,

Lucio Fontana Lucio Fontana (; 19 February 1899 – 7 September 1968) was an Italian Argentines, Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor, and theorist. He is known as the founder of Spatialism and exponent of Abstract art, abstract painting as the f ...

, 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 Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

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 Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni (, , ; 7 March 1785 – 22 May 1873) was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher. He is famous for the novel ''The Betrothed (Manzoni novel), The Betrothed'' (orig. ) (1827), generally ranked among ...

. The Civico Mausoleo Palanti designed by the architect

Mario Palanti Mario Palanti (September 20, 1885 – September 4, 1978) was an Italian architect who designed important buildings in the capital cities of both Argentina and Uruguay. Life and career Born in 1885 in Milan, Italy, the brother of painter Giu ...

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 Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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.

The Jewish section

The section, designed by Carlo Maciachini, opened in 1872 to replace the cemeteries of Porta Tenaglia, Porta Magenta, and Porta Vercellina. It lies east of the Catholic cemetery and has a separate entrance. The area is the result of a 1913 expansion to the southern and east. The central building was originally the entrance to the cemetery. Tomb numbering is repeated because the cemetery is divided into six fields and an addition in the eastern side. There are also three common fields, including one for children, where burials date from 1873 to 1894, with small gravestones on the ground bearing the names and dates of death. The monuments, built from 1866 onward, are located along the walkways. There are also family shrines, two of which were designed by Maciachini, columbaria, and ossuaries along the northern and western cemetery walls and burials in the central building. There are 1778 burials, some in memory of people killed by in Nazi concentration camps or in the Lake Maggiore massacres, including at Meina. There are many monuments of artistic value built by important architects and sculptors, described in the guide book by Giovanna Ginex and Ornella Selvafolta. Jewishsectioncimiteromonunentalemilano

The following architects have worked in the Jewish section: Carlo Maciachini (Davide Leonino and Pisa shrines), Giovanni Battista Bossi (Anselmo de Benedetti tomb), Ercole Balossi Merlo (Leon David Levi shrine), Luigi Conconi (Segre shrine), Giovanni Ceruti (Vitali shrine), Carlo Meroni (Taranto tomb), Cesare Mazzocchi (Giulio Foligno shrine), Manfredo d'Urbino (Jarach shrine, Mayer tomb, Besso tomb, Monument to the Jewish Martyrs of Nazism), Gigiotti Zanini (Zanini tomb), Adolfo Valabrega (Moisé Foligno shrine), Luigi Perrone (Goldfinger shrine). Sculptors whose work is found here include: Mario Quadrelli (Pisa shrine), Giuseppe Daniele Benzoni (Ottolenghi Finzi tomb), Luigi Vimercati (Estella Jung tomb), Agostino Caravati (Alessandro Forti tomb), Rizzardo Galli (Vittorio Finzi tomb), Enrico Cassi (De Daninos tomb), Attilio Prendoni (Errera and Conforti tomb), Eduardo Ximenes (Treves shrine), Giulio Branca (Giovanni Norsa tomb, Michelangelo Carpi tomb), fratelli Bonfanti (Davide and Beniamino Foà tomb), Enrico Astorri (Carolina Padova and Fanny Levi Cammeo tomb), Egidio Boninsegna (Giuseppe Levi tomb), Dario Viterbo (Levi Minzi columbarium), Giannino Castiglioni (Ettore Levis and Goldfinger tombs), Adolfo Wildt (Cesare Sarfatti tomb), Eugenio Pellini (Bettino Levi tomb), Arrigo Minerbi (Renato del Mar tomb), Roberto Terracini (Nino Colombo tomb). The central building was enhanced in May 2015 with artistic windows that represent the

Twelve Tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( , ) are described in the Hebrew Bible as being the descendants of Jacob, a Patriarchs (Bible), Hebrew patriarch who was a son of Isaac and thereby a grandson of Abraham. Jacob, later known as Israel (name), Israel, ...

by the artist Diego Pennacchio Ardemagni.

Crematorium

The cemetery contains the Crematorium Temple, which was the first

crematorium A crematorium, crematory or cremation center is a venue for the cremation of the Death, dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a ...

to open in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...

. The crematorium opened in 1876 and was operational until 1992. The building is also a

columbarium A columbarium (; pl. columbaria), also called a cinerarium, is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns holding cremated remains of the dead. The term comes from the Latin ''columba'' (dove) and originally solel ...

.Encyclopedia of Cremation by Lewis H. Mates (pp. 21–23) As with other early crematoria in Italy, it was built in

Greek Revival architecture Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

Famous graves

Signs located throughout the cemetery point visitors to several of the most remarkable tombs and monuments. Some of the persons interred in the cemetery include: * Alberto Ascari (1918–1955),

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

champion driver * Alberto Lattuada (1914–2005), director *

(1785–1873), poet, novelist, considered the founder of modern Italian language; tomb located at the very center of the ''Famedio'' * Alda Merini (1931–2009), poet *

Amilcare Ponchielli Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera La Gioconda (opera), ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla. Life and work Born in Paderno Fasolaro ( ...

(1834–1886), composer * Anna Kuliscioff (1857–1925), political activist * Antonio Ascari (1888–1925), Grand Prix champion driver * Antonio Bernocchi (1859–1939), industrialist * Arrigo Boito (1842–1918), composer, librettist *

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

(1867–1957), conductor and cellist * Bruno Munari (1907–1998), artist * Camilla Cederna (1911–1997), editor, writer *

Camillo Boito Camillo Boito (; 30 October 1836 – 28 June 1914) was an Italian architect and engineer, and a noted art critic, art historian and novelist. He was the brother of Arrigo Boito, the friend and librettist of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. ...

(1836–1914), architect * Candido Cannavò (1930–2009), journalist * Carla Fracci (1936–2021), ballet dancer; first woman to be entombed in the ''Famedio'' * Carlo Cattaneo (1801–1869), philosopher, patriot * Cesare Maldini (1932–2016), football player * Dario Fo (1926–2016), 1997

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

Domenico Induno Domenico Induno (14 May 1815 – 5 November 1878) was an Italian painter, primarily of Genre art, genre and History painting, historical scenes. His younger brother, Gerolamo Induno, Gerolamo, also became a well-known artist and they often worked ...

(1815–1878), painter *

Emilio Longoni Emilio Longoni (July 9, 1859 – November 29, 1932) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born in Barlassina on July 9, 1859, fourth of twelve children, from Garibaldi’s volunteer and horseshoer Matteo Longoni and from tailor Luigia M ...

(1859–1932), painter * Enzo Jannacci (1935–2013), singer-songwriter * Ernesto Bazzaro (1859–1937), sculptor * Filippo Filippi (1830–1887), journalist, music critic * Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876–1944), poet and main founder of the

futurist Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futures studies or futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities ...

movement *

Filippo Turati Filippo Turati (; 26 November 1857 – 29 March 1932) was an Italian sociologist, criminologist, poet and socialist politician. Early life Born in Canzo, province of Como, he graduated in law at the University of Bologna in 1877, and particip ...

(1857–1932), politician * Franca Rame (1929–2013), political activist, actress *

Francesco Hayez Francesco Hayez (; 10 February 1791 – 12 February 1882) was an Italian painter. He is considered one of the leading artists of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan, and is renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories, and ...

(1791–1882), painter * Francesco Maria Piave (1810–1876), librettist, poet * Franco Corelli (1921–2003), opera tenor *

Franco Moschino Franco Moschino (27 February 1950 – 18 September 1994) was an Italian fashion designer who founded eponymous luxury Italian fashion house Moschino. Early years Moschino was born in Abbiategrasso, Lombardy, located c. 22 km from Mila ...

(1950–1994), fashion designer * Gae Aulenti (1927–2012), architect *

Gaspare Campari Gaspare Campari (12 March 1828 – 14 April 1882) was an Italian drinks manufacturer. Born in Cassolnovo, Italy,Gianroberto Casaleggio (1954–2016), entrepreneur, political activist * Giangiacomo Feltrinelli (1926–1972), publisher, businessman * Gino Bramieri (1928–1996), comedian and actor *

Gio Ponti Giovanni "Gio" Ponti (; 18 November 1891 – 16 September 1979) was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer and publisher. During his career, which spanned six decades, Ponti built more than a hu ...

(1891–1979), architect, industrial designer, artist * Giò Pomodoro (1930–2002), artist * Giovanni Pesce (1918–2007), communist partisan * Giovanni Treccani (1877–1961), publisher * Giulio Mongeri (1873–1951), architect * Giulietta Pezzi (1810–1878), writer * Giorgio Gaber (1939–2003), singer-songwriter, comedian * Giorgio Gaslini (1929–2014), jazz pianist, composer, conductor * Giuseppe Meazza (1910–1979), football player and manager *

Giuseppe Palanti Giuseppe Palanti (30 July 1881 – 23 April 1946) was an Italian painter, illustrator, and urban planner, best known for his portraits, notably of Mussolini and Pius XI. He had a long collaboration with Teatro alla Scala in Milan, creating c ...

(1881–1946), painter * Guido Crepax (1933-2003), comics artist * Herbert Kilpin (1870–1916), founder of A.C. Milan football club * Leo Valiani (1909–1999), writer, politician * Lelio Basso (1903–1978), politician * Lina Merlin (1887–1979), politician * Luca Beltrami (1854–1933), architect * Luigi Giussani (1922–2005), priest, founder of "Communion and Liberation" * Magda Olivero (1910–2014), opera soprano *

(1885–1978), architect * Mario Tiberini (1826–1880) and his wife Angiolina Ortolani-Tiberini (1834–1913), opera singers. * Medardo Rosso (1858–1928), sculptor * Piero Sacerdoti (1905–1966), insurer * Philippe Daverio (1949–2020), art historian * Rosa Chiarina Scolari (1882–1949) Mother Superior who helped the Italian resistance movement * Salvatore Quasimodo (1901–1968), 1959 Nobel prize in Literature * Temistocle Solera (1815–1878), poet, opera composer, librettist * Ulrico Hoepli (1847-1935), publisher, founder of Hoepli Editore * Valentina Cortese (1923–2019), actress *

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Life ...

(1903–1989), pianist *

Walter Chiari Walter Annicchiarico (8 March 1924 – 20 December 1991), known as Walter Chiari , was an Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles. Biography Walter Annicchiarico was born in Verona, Italy on 8 March 1924 to a family originall ...

(1924–1991), actor Mayors of Milan * Aldo Aniasi (1921–2005), Mayor (1967–76) * Angelo Filippetti (1866–1936), Mayor (1920–22) * Carlo Tognoli (1938–2021), Mayor (1976–86) * Emanuele Greppi (1853–1931), Mayor (1911–14) * Emilio Caldara (1868–1942), Mayor (1914–20) * Gino Cassinis (1885–1964), Mayor (1961–64) * Giulio Belinzaghi (1818–1892), Mayor (1867–84; 1889–92) * Marco Formentini (1930–2021), Mayor (1993–97) * Virgilio Ferrari (1888–1975), Mayor (1951–61)

Gallery

File:Edicola Bernocchi.jpg, Mausoleum of Antonio Bernocchi by Giannino Castiglioni (1930s) File:Campari Family. Ph Ivan Stesso.jpg, The Last Supper,

Campari Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an aperitif, apéritif of the ''bitter'' variety (and not an amaro) by Italians while considered an apéritif of the Amaro (liqueur), amaro variety by Americans, obtained from the infusion of ...

family tomb File:Arturo Toscanini grave Milan 2015.jpg,

's tomb File:Il Monumento al monumentale 10.jpg, Morgagni family monument File:Cimitero Monumentale (Milan)Oktober2016 - 5.jpg, Cemetery section from above File:Cimetière Monumentale - Milan (IT25) - 2022-09-04 - 97.jpg, Ossuary File:Cimetière Monumentale - Milan (IT25) - 2022-09-04 - 125.jpg, Arcades File:Cimetière Monumentale - Milan (IT25) - 2022-09-04 - 58.jpg, Galleries

Other famous graves

File:Dario Fo Franca Rame Grave.JPG, Dario Fo and Franca Rame File:Francesco Hayez grave Milan 2015.jpg,

File:Bob Noorda grave Milan 2015.jpg, Bob Noorda File:Giuseppe Meazza grave Milan 2015.jpg, Giuseppe Meazza File:Salvatore Quasimodo grave Milan 2015.jpg, Salvatore Quasimodo File:Alda Merini grave Milan 2015.jpg, Alda Merini File:Giorgio Gaber grave Milan 2015.jpg, Giorgio Gaber File:Enzo Jannacci grave Milan 2015.jpg, Enzo Jannacci

References

External links

Video with photos from cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cimitero Monumentale Di Milano Cemeteries in Milan Tourist attractions in Milan 1866 establishments in Italy *