Cimitero monumentale di Staglieno

- September 23, 2015

Dear Readers, I haven't been posting anything for some time but today I am back with a short story about the place I have visited during my last trip to Italy. This place is one of the biggest and most beautiful cementary in Europe - Staglieno Cimitero.

Just so you know, I was never a fan of cementaries in general, and the idea of necro-tourism has never been my thing. But when I found out about Staglieno Cementary, located on one of the Genova's hillsides I knew it is a place I want to visit. The reasons were ofcourse the sculptures, because as you might know I am a fan of this field of art, and the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno is full of stone and marble human figures. Those figures depict the real people, that once were walking the streets of Genova. Emotions enchanted in the sculptures made me feel nostalgic although I have never met them. For sure the reason is the beuty of sculptures itself. If you take a look at the photos you might notice the artistry of workmanship. Faces, hands and clothes are sculptured with extraordinary eye for detail. It is still hard for me to believe a human hand might actually carve an openwork scarf so beautifully and precisely...

Cimitero monumentale di Staglieno


Knock knock knocking on heavens doors...

Cimitero monumentale di Staglieno

But I believe not only the art was the reason those nostalgic tones attacked me. Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno reminded me two things: of course they are not very revealing nor starling. The first one is that when it comes to death is are all equal. The cementary of Staglieno includes the tombs of Jews, Protestants and Catholics - all in the same place, all buried under the same ground, all eaten by the same worms. We all are equal, those who have ornate, expensive tombstone and those who have a simple cross stuck into the ground.

The other thing is that in our culture death is a taboo - we don't wanna think about it, we don't wanna talk about it and especially we don't wanna see it. The idea of visintg the hospice causes chills of fear. We have supplanted death from everyday life as it is something too dreadful and we hope it is distanced enough we don't need this idea in our heads. But, there are other ways to deal with it. Some American tribes were living with their death family members, some once a year were disinter the corps of their ancestors to change their clothes, other were carrying the bodies or bones wherever they were migrating to other places. For Mexican Indians the Day of the Death is a colorful, happy day, when people are celebrating the passage to the other side.

Maybe it is a good idea to visit cementary sometimes, just to feel this extraordinary closeness with all human beings: past, present and future. There is one thing we will ALL eventually experience - regardless of race, religion, nationality or sex. Isn't it fascinating?