Monumental Cemetery

The Cimitero Monumentale is one of the most extraordinary places in Milan, an open-air museum of sculpture and architecture spread across a vast walled ground north of the centre. It opened in 1866, designed by the architect Carlo Maciachini in an eclectic mix of Byzantine, Gothic and Lombard Romanesque styles, and over the following century Milan's wealthy families commissioned tombs from the best artists they could find. The result is an astonishing range of monuments, from classical temples to Art Nouveau angels and modernist abstractions.

The Famedio

The main entrance building, the Famedio or temple of fame, is a striped marble hall that serves as Milan's pantheon. Here lies Alessandro Manzoni, author of The Betrothed, the most celebrated novel in Italian literature, in a monument at the centre of the hall. Plaques and memorials honour other notable Milanese, among them the conductor Arturo Toscanini, whose family tomb is in the grounds, and the composers, writers, scientists and patriots who shaped the city.

Walking the grounds

Beyond the Famedio, avenues lined with trees and tombs stretch away in every direction. A map is available at the entrance, and we suggest picking a loose route rather than trying to see everything. The central section holds the grandest family monuments, while the side galleries, or colonnades, shelter smaller tombs with fine portrait busts and reliefs.

Monuments to look for

The Campari family tomb is among the most famous: a large bronze group by Giannino Castiglioni showing the Last Supper, with Christ and the apostles at life size. Elsewhere, the Bernocchi tomb rises as a spiral tower of carved figures, and the small temple of the Toscanini family echoes classical forms. Art Nouveau sculptures of grieving women, children and allegorical figures appear throughout, and many monuments are signed by leading sculptors of their day.

Visiting with respect

The Monumentale is still an active cemetery, and families come to tend graves and attend funerals. Quiet behaviour, modest dress and discretion with photography are expected, especially near services. The paths are long and the ground is large, so comfortable shoes and water are useful in summer. Guided tours run on some days, and themed routes highlight particular artists or periods.

A history told in stone

Reading the monuments is a lesson in the city's rise. Industrialists, bankers and merchants who built modern Milan in the late nineteenth century wanted tombs that matched their success, and they hired the same sculptors who made public statues. Their names, from textile firms to publishing houses, are still familiar in Lombardy. A small area near the entrance also holds a crematorium temple of 1876, one of the first in Italy, a sign of the free-thinking spirit of the period.

Our view

The Monumentale surprises almost every visitor who goes, and it shows a side of Milanese history and wealth that the centre does not. We spend about two hours, then walk south along Via Paolo Sarpi into Chinatown for lunch, or east towards the towers of Isola and Porta Nuova. Metro M5 stops at Monumentale station right beside the entrance, and trams also pass along the front. For a modern contrast, the CityLife towers are a short metro ride away, and our three-day itinerary shows how to fit the cemetery into a longer stay.

Autumn light, when the trees colour and long shadows fall across the marble, is especially atmospheric, and the grounds are rarely crowded at any time of year. In early November, around All Saints and the Day of the Dead, Milanese families bring flowers to the graves, and the cemetery feels more like a living part of the city than at any other time.