Staglieno Cemetery

One of the most unusual places I’ve ever visited! Dark and gloomy, yet beautiful at the same time. Definitely worth a visit — and below are a few useful tips. Be sure to check for storm warnings in advance (you can do this on the cemetery’s website), otherwise you might end up facing closed gates! Plan at least an hour and a half — trust me, there’s plenty to see. Be prepared for a lot of walking, as the cemetery is built on a slope. There are buses running across the grounds, which you can use to reach the more remote sections

A wonderful place to see magnificent high quality sculptures. There is an information office with very kind local staff. Get a free map and the free introduction book (also in English) there. Be careful of the old guy who sells those materials in the cemetery. Those material are free. The local bus n. 34 goes to this cemetery and it’s the final stop. I also recommend to check the website before go there as sometimes it’s closed for strong winds or some maintenances.

The Staglieno Cemetery was officially opened to the public on January 1, 1851. Although it was still largely unfinished at that date, its specific architectural, functional, and symbolic physiognomy had already been established. The design had been entrusted in 1835 to civic architect Carlo Barabino (1768-1835)—he was responsible for much of Genoa's neoclassical style and the construction of iconic buildings such as the Teatro Carlo Felice, the Palazzo dell'Accademia, and many others—but he was unable to complete the project due to his sudden death in 1835 during the great cholera epidemic. The task of developing the project was then entrusted to his pupil and collaborator Giovanni Battista Resasco (1798-1871), whose plan was approved in 1840. Work began in 1844 in the area of ​​Villa Vaccarezza in Staglieno, which was still largely sparsely inhabited and not far from the city centre. It’s worth a visit. Free entry. Good information on place and free map.

Amazing sculptures/tombs. Easy to get to by bus. Recommended

This is a cemetery on an epic scale. It can be viewed as two sections; the formal quadrangle with vast two storey galleries lined with statuary and cremation urn compartments, and the informal layout which, much like Genova itself, is carved out of the hillside. The Genoese take death seriously. Sumptuous monuments tell a story with life size family members grieving over the deceased surrounded by angels to help them on the journey to the afterlife. Others like to compare themselves to gods posing majestically. The quality and indeed the quantity of statuary is remarkable. On the hillside is a village of the dead with named roads, monuments as big as churches, some that look like small houses, and again full of statuary. The tree-lined roads go on forever. And steps lead off these to off-road terraces cut in to the slope, each an individual avenue of graves. There is a lot of steps. Some have subsided and restoration is never ending. No space is left empty. Urn compartments are stacked 5m high and step ladders are provided for changing flowers in the vases and batteries in the lanterns. Even the roofs of the galleries are lined with cremation urn compartments. I always say if you want to understand the history of a place look at its architecture. In the case of Genova, you should also look at this cemetery.