The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno is an amazingly beautiful cemetery in north Genova. I'm not usually one to visit a cemetery just because, and especially not if it's slightly inconvenient to get to, but this one definitely was worth the effort and the very affordable 5€ entrance fee.
How do you get to the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno?
From Piazza Corvetto, the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno is about a 10-minute bus ride on the 34. You can't miss your stop, as it's the final destination of the bus. The Cemetery sits in the hills in the Genovese district of Staglieno. The Cemetery is open 7:30 am - 5:00 pm, and I definitely recommend going when the weather is nice so you can enjoy the outdoors as well as the indoor areas.
How big is the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno?
At over one square kilometer (250 acres total!), this extensive cemetery is covered head to toe with gorgeous sculptures, architecturally interesting mausoleums and columbariums (for cremated remains), and over 115,000 graves. The two most popular sights in the cemetery are the Statue of Faith and the Pantheon (pictured above). Inside the Pantheon are some impressive statues depicting scenes from the Bible, Roman Gods, and other important persons. (The Cemetery is multi-faith, with a Catholic section, a Protestant section, and a Jewish section.)
How old is the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno?
The cemetery was opened in 1851, and it is still in operation today. Along the outside of the Pantheon are some of the most impressive family crypts I've ever seen. The whole cemetery is just one work of art after another. I mean, look at this sculpting! Look at the stained glass! Each of these mausoleums housed a very steep staircase just behind the door.
What is there to see in the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno?
The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno was built into a hillside, so there are gardens and gravesites covering terrace after terrace. Being so big, I liked that you could see multiple landscapes at once: there's the traditional flat garden graveyard, halls and halls of indoor mausoleums, and acres of family mausoleums in a veritable forest.
I meant to go for a short hike and ended up a bit lost because the paths were windy and unmarked. Some trails and larger roads are well-maintained, while others are overgrown and have crumbling steps. While the ones in front all have beautiful flowers and are pristinely maintained, many of the graves and mausoleums further back are covered in moss and have a slightly ruin-esque aesthetic, which I liked.
I also enjoyed the pops of color indoors, every site had fake flowers that look great with the marble background.
How long does it take to visit the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno?
It's recommended to spend about 90 minutes in the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno. I was there a bit longer, as I walked pretty far back and spent a lot of time photographing things. I really had to restrain myself to not take pictures of literally everything I saw... It was just all so beautiful!
My favorite was definitely this family mausoleum that looked like a miniature (though not that mini) version of the Duomo of Milano!
