How many stories lie beneath our feet here at Cimitero Via Fratelli Cervi? This is not just any ordinary burial ground. It is the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano. A place where art and history intertwine. This Milan cemetery is one of the two largest in the city. The other is the Cimitero Maggiore. It stands as a testament to Italian artistry. It is filled with artistic tombs and monuments.
Imagine stepping back to 1866. The year the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano officially opened. Before this date smaller cemeteries were scattered around Milan. Carlo Maciachini designed this huge complex. He consolidated those cemeteries into this single location.
As you walk through Cimitero Via Fratelli Cervi you will see Greek temples. You will also see elaborate obelisks. There is even a scaled-down version of Trajan’s Column. These tombs belong to noted industrialist dynasties. Adolfo Wildt and Giò Ponti are some artists who designed monuments here. Arturo Martini and Lucio Fontana also contributed.
The main entrance is through the Famedio. This massive hall resembles a Hall of Fame. It is built in a Neo-Medieval style. Marble and stone make up its structure. The Famedio holds the tombs of honored citizens. Novelist Alessandro Manzoni rests here.
Look for the Civico Mausoleo Palanti. Architect Mario Palanti designed it. This tomb is for meritorious Milanese citizens. A memorial honors 800 Milanese killed in Nazi camps. The BBPR group designed this memorial. Gianluigi Banfi was a member.
Notice the special sections within the cemetery. One is for those not of the Catholic religion. Another section is specifically Jewish. Near the entrance, discover a permanent exhibition. Here you can find prints and photographs. Maps outline the cemetery’s historical development.
The Jewish section designed by Carlo Maciachini opened in 1872. It replaced cemeteries from Porta Tenaglia, Porta Magenta and Porta Vercellina. The Jewish section lies east of the Catholic cemetery. It has its own separate entrance.
Inside, you can find family shrines. Maciachini designed two of them. There are also columbaria and ossuaries. These line the northern and western cemetery walls. Here lie 1778 burials. Some honor those killed in Nazi concentration camps. Others are for victims of the Lake Maggiore massacres.
Many monuments within Cimitero Via Fratelli Cervi hold artistic value. Diego Pennacchio Ardemagni enhanced the central building in 2015. He added artistic windows that represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
The Cimitero Monumentale di Milano also houses the Crematorium Temple. It opened in 1876. It was the first crematorium in the Western world. This building operated until 1992. It also serves as a columbarium. Like other early crematoria in Italy it features Greek Revival architecture.
Many famous people are buried in Cimitero Via Fratelli Cervi. Alberto Ascari was a Formula One champion driver. Alessandro Manzoni was a poet and novelist. His tomb is at the center of the Famedio. Arturo Toscanini was a conductor and cellist.
The Cimitero Via Fratelli Cervi also contains the graves of mayors of Milan. Giulio Belinzaghi and Angelo Filippetti rest here.
From Antonio Bernocchi’s mausoleum to the Campari family tomb this cemetery is full of history. It also showcases beautiful art. As you leave remember the stories. Remember the lives celebrated within these walls.