Monumental Cemetery

Milan's very own mausoleum, the Monumental Cemetery was inaugurated in 1866. It was designed by the architect Carlo Maciachini, its Gothic designs alongside those of Lombardy and Pisan Romanesque, with touches of the Byzantine, too.

Over time, the Monumental Cemetery has welcomed many of the greatest Italian artists. Who? Alessandro Manzoni and Carlo Cattaneo, Salvatore Quasimodo and Arturo Toscanini, Giorgio Gaber and Alda Merini, to name just a few.

At the main entrance stands the Famedio, the "temple of fame", a grand neo-gothic building in marble and brick.

Milanoguida tour guides are available to accompany visitors round the cemetery free of charge to explore what is effectively a splendid open-air museum.