The Monumental Cemetery

Wedged between the sleek Porta Nuova district and Chinatown lies one of the most picturesque and peaceful spots in the city, Milan’s Monumental Cemetery housing more than 80 thousand burials. Planned when Napoleon ruled the city, it would only be completed in 1866 and was solemnly inaugurated by the city’s authorities on 2^nd November, quite fittingly All Souls’ Day. Built according to the highest contemporary standards of hygiene and progress, it also has the oldest crematorium in Europe. It was designed by architect Carlo Maciachini, a man of humble origins who would become a favourite with Milan’s wealthy bourgeoisie in the late 1800s. He too is buried here and you can also admire several of his works along with those by many of his contemporaries.  Captains of industry, famous musicians and even the English founder of AC Milan football club have found their final resting place here and many of their shrines are splendid examples of Art Nouveau or Symbolist sculpture reflecting their social status and tastes.

The striking central building that greets visitors with its dazzling façade has deliberate echoes of gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance architecture and is known as the Famedio or Temple of Fame. It was originally designed as a Catholic chapel before being turned into a Pantheon to celebrate and commemorate those Milanese-born or honorary citizens whose endeavours have earned them distinction and lent prestige to the city and Italy. Behind it lies the beautiful park inspired by the rural churchyards of England and France. Stretching over 250 thousand square metres it also incorporates two special sections, a cemetery for non-Catholics and one for members of the Jewish faith

Let Lucy the resident cat accompany you on a stroll around this city of the dead as you discover the stories behind the lives of some of its greatest characters

This guided walk is kept to a maximum of 15 participants. For your peace of mind just check out our 

Safety Protocol

• Please remember to bring your own facemask
• A distance of at least 1 meter to be kept between each participant
• No sharing of objects with other participants on the tour or with the guide
• Please do not attend if you have flu symptoms or a test result of positive to Covid-19 in the last 14 days.
• If during the 14 days after the tour a you should have symptoms that could point to infection from Covid-19 kindly contact Milan Walking Tours  (hello@milanwalkingtours.org) so that we can immediately notify all the other participants. 

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