The ancient cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa (25 photos)

One of the largest and most beautiful in Europe, the Genoese Monumental Cemetery di Staglieno (Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno) is located on a green mountainside over an area of ​​more than one square kilometer. This is a real open-air museum - the local statues made of Carrara marble amaze the imagination with their sad beauty, and make you think about the fragility of life and the frailty of the world.

1. The world-famous Genoese cemetery of Campo Santo or Staglieno was opened in Resasco in 1851, and its special development occurred during the First World War.

2. The Staglieno cemetery is famous for its rich gallery of sculptures made of Carrara marble.

3. Among the many tombstones located here, the grave of Mazzini, a famous fighter for Italian independence, stands out.

4. The monumental Cemetery of Staglieno combines the structure of neoclassical cemetery architecture in the Mediterranean tradition with the naturalness of Northern European cemeteries.

5. In the Staglieno cemetery you can find the tombstones of all the famous people of Genoa.

6. Considered one of the most interesting cemeteries in Italy, Staglieno is famous for its hillside amphitheater and continuous line of monumental buildings and small trees.

7. The Staglieno cemetery in Genoa is a true open-air museum, as its graves are decorated with outstanding sculptures.

8. A photograph of a Genoese cemetery was used on the cover of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart album.

9. Many celebrities (Nietzsche, de Maupassant, Elizabeth of Austria) visited Staglieno.

10. The Chapel of Intercession (Pantheon) rises above the cemetery, located on a green hillside.

11. The paths of the Cemetery di Staglieno, decorated with trees, contain interesting sculptures and monuments that are objects of art

12. There are also graves of Russian emigrants in the cemetery.

13. On it is the grave of Fyodor Poletaev, who was awarded (posthumously) the Italian Gold Medal “For Military Valor” for his feat in a battle with the Germans in the town of Cantalupo Ligure.

14. In the cemetery of Genoa there is a lot of marble and greenery - myrtles, laurels, oleanders.

15. The ancient cemetery attracts many tourists visiting Genoa. Access to the cemetery is open daily from 07:30 to 17:00. The entrance is free.

16. Staglieno is not inferior in beauty to the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris and Recoleta in Buenos Aires.

17. Staglieno cemetery - a quiet and sad little world full of monuments, bars, fences and angels spreading their wings...

18. Last June, seven employees of the Staglieno cemetery, including three municipal inspectors, were arrested by the Carabinieri for systematic looting and desecration of graves.

19. During the investigation carried out by the Carabinieri, it was established that for many years this criminal group, with particular cynicism, was engaged in the destruction of burial places and the theft of dental and orthopedic dentures, as well as gold rings and other jewelry left by the relatives of the deceased.

20. The grave desecrators did not disdain anything; in particular, they emptied aluminum coffins, pressed them directly into the cemetery, and then sold the valuable scrap metal.

21. Criminals extracted precious metals and alloys from the prosthetics, primarily titanium and gold, which were also sold. The Carabinieri established that dentures that did not contain gold also went on the black market, the existence of which law enforcement agencies did not even suspect.

22. Thefts from graves were carried out on a large scale, and the stolen valuables were sorted and often sold in wholesale quantities.

23. In addition, the attackers actively plundered ancient burial sites, from which marble sculptures and friezes, as well as other items made from valuable materials, were stolen.

24. At the same time, members of the criminal group operating in the Staglieno cemetery were actively trading in burial places, actually ruining and desecrating existing graves.

25. The criminals have been charged with desecration of burials, theft, theft of valuables, as well as damage to monuments of artistic and historical significance.