Italy – Day 2c – ‘I See Dead People’, Italian Style

Entrance to Monumental Cemetery, Milan (17 February 2018)

I believe by now I have demonstrated an appreciation for cemeteries, their styles and customs along with the fact that they are also the last resting places of notable people.

On February 17, 2018, after a long day visiting some of the outstanding attractions in Milan, our last stop was Monumental Cemetery, the grand public burial ground for the city’s upper crust.

I’m sorry the above image appears so gloomy. It was late afternoon on an overcast day. I brightened it up a bit but this shot would have been much nicer in the sun. On the other hand, the clouds diffused the light and that means there were no bright spots and distracting shadows on what we came to see.

Monumental Cemetery, Milan (17 February 2018)

What makes the place so interesting are the elaborate and ornate graves, many decorated with dramatic sculptures of death and mourning. It has been referred to as an open-air museum of late 19th and early 20th century funerary sculpture.

Monumental Cemetery, Milan (17 February 2018)

This may be the start of a series on interesting cemeteries because Cimitero Monumentale di Milano is really fascinating. The place is relatively new, having opened in 1866, around the time of Italian unification. Since then, it has accumulated tombs and graves of many of the business and cultural titans of the region.

Monumental Cemetery, Milan (17 February 2018)

This was clearly an aesthetic/visual experience more than a historical one. Apart from names and dates, I could not understand any other writing that might explain something significant. With few exceptions, I did not recognize the people highlighted in the public visitor materials. Later, I was sorry I didn’t pay closer attention because we missed conductor Arturo Toscanini and pianist Vladimir Horowitz, two giants of 20th century classical music. Horowitz was actually Toscanini’s son-in-law and currently resides in the family tomb here.

Monumental Cemetery, Milan (17 February 2018)

It is extremely rare to see a sculpted male mourning figure on these graves. Why is that?

I went to The Google and asked about women representations in cemeteries. Up came a 4-year old post on a blog called ‘A Grave Interest’. The author, Joy Neighbors, in a post about ‘Statues of Grief’ noted,

Women in Mourning
Women are the mourners of the human race: the ones who are expected, and allowed, to express emotions.

Monumental Cemetery, Milan (17 February 2018)

When a male figure is included, it may be a child or sad angel/cherub. There are certainly depictions of the deceased…a proper, stuffy bust of the patriarch himself. However, there is another male figure that you can find. The Grim Reaper himself may appear to remind you that no one gets out alive.

Great way to end the day.