Necrotourism

The cemetery of Cellino San Marco dates back to the early twentieth century and its style recalls that of the elementary schools.

Until the early nineteenth century the dead were buried inside the churches and only with an edict of Napoleon, this system was abolished and places had to be found outside the town for burial.

In Cellino an area was identified near the church of San Marco which thus also became the chapel of the cemetery.

The monumental entrance is symmetrical characterized by two large cubic elements placed on the sides of the entrance gate.

They are two buildings of a room that have an entrance door and two windows with friezes.

As soon as you enter the cemetery area you immediately notice the first noble chapels dating back to the early twentieth century with a very elegant architectural style.

The Commonwealth Beach Head cemetery in Anzio contains the graves of the fallen of the First and Second World War and is one of the largest English cemeteries in Italy.

It has 2,316 graves of which there are 6 Australian, 2,193 British, 69 Canadian, 5 of United India, 5 New Zealanders , 25 South-African, 6 of the African Pioneer Corps (5 of Swaziland and 1 of Lesotho) and 3 tombs of unknown soldiers from the 1939-45 War.

The cemetery was built in the place where an emergency room had been set up for the allied troops after the landing of Anzio on 22nd January 1944 and during the subsequent battles.

The first bodies were buried immediately after landing. Of the 2,316 bodies, 295 are not yet identified.

The tombs consist of a series of tombstones that bear the name, age, regiment and religion of the combatant. In addition, any sentences desired by family members are inscribed.

All graves are immersed in a soft carpet of grass with flowers planted at each headstone and roses planted at each row of gravestones.

The cemetery was designed by Luois de Soissons.

The English Monumental Cemetery is located in Anzio, just near the city's cemetery.

It houses the bodies of 1,056 casualties including 1,053 English, 1 Canadian, 1 New Zealand and 1 South African.

As in all the English war cemeteries, at the entrance to the cemetery there is a small memorial building where the stories of war are retold.

At the end of the cemetery the great monument of a Cross of Sacrifice recalls the sacredness of the place.

All the graves are in-ground and covered by a soft grassy mantle while a plaque remembers the name, age, level, identification number and a symbol for the religion of the fallen.

The headstones then show the emblem of the regiment and a possible phrase chosen by the family.

In Anzio there is also the Commonwealth cemetery with 2,316 graves.

The soldiers buried in this cemetery are the fallen of the allied troops landing at Anzio and the subsequent battles.

The landing took place on 22nd January 1944 and was used to divert the Germans' attention from the Gustav Line so as to be able to beat them and then arrive to Rome.

In reality, the landing was not a great success and gave rise to months of fighting before achieving victory for the allied troops.

Another objective was to keep German troops occupied in Italy before landing in France on 6 June 1944.

The allied troops belonged to the 15th Army Group and consisted of the Eighth Army of the Commonwealth and the Fifth American Army.

They joined forces of the French, Polish, Greek and Brazilian units as well as some Italian units.

The graveyard of Genzano di Roma is one of the most interesting historical sites of the city with its formal purity pursued in regular geometric shapes.

The church is inspired by Palladian models and the cemetery is organized hierarchically as an urban fabric with a logic of "City of the Dead".

The straight avenues with cypress trees and the variety of funerary chapels transforms this environment into a unique place.

There are many Tuscania necropolis both along the valleys of Maschiolo and Marta as well as in other areas. The oldest tombs, those relating to Orientalising period, are mounds with a small burial chamber in ogival (bullet shaped) section, as in Tarquinia.

In a tomb in Sasso Pizzuto we have a constructive model as those of Cerveteri with its characteristic division into three rooms, with window openings and the burial beds equipped with pillow. In some burial mounds of Ara del Tufo, however, the style of Vulci is encountered.

In Peschiera necropolis is a tomb-shaped house that is joined to the rock in which it was derived, and which dates from the first half of the sixth century BC and at its summit there were sculptures of animals. The monumental necropolis of Pian di Mola has tombs that seem arranged as abodes of the living with a striking visual effect.

Funerary complexes Hellenistic type are located in Madonna Olive where stands the so-called "Cave of the Queen" and the two tombs of Curunas.

In the ancient tomb of the fourth century BC were found sarcophagi decorated with figurative reliefs on the walls of the casket and with the figure of the dead sprawled on the cover.

The outfittings were rich in fine ceramics and fine bronzes. The Tomb of the Queen is a network of tunnels on several floors that are thought to be a sacred place. 

The name of the ‘cave’ comes from the nineteenth century discovery of a woman's head in marble or a woman's image painted on the walls, now lost.

Ceccano- Passeggiata al Cimitero Monumentale di Ceccano by Alberto Bevere

The current cemetery of Ceccano was built starting in 1868 and houses the remains of famous people.

Among them, the vice governor of Libya as well as the late nineteenth-century tombs with exquisite decorations.

Walking around the old part you can trace the evolution of artistic styles and better understand the history of the town.