Cimitero Monumentale

The Monumentale is one of the most extraordinary places in Milan and one of the least visited by tourists. It opened in the 1860s, designed by the architect Carlo Maciachini in an eclectic mix of Lombard Romanesque, Byzantine and Gothic styles, as the city's grand public cemetery at a time when Milan's industrialists and professional families wanted monuments to match their new wealth. The result is a vast open-air gallery of funerary art, with tombs by many of the leading Italian sculptors and architects of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The entrance is dominated by the Famedio, a striped marble hall of fame that holds the tombs and memorials of Milan's most distinguished citizens, including the novelist Alessandro Manzoni, author of The Betrothed. Beyond it, avenues of family chapels and monuments run in every direction. Highlights include the Campari family tomb, with a life-size bronze version of the Last Supper; the Toscanini family tomb; the Bernocchi monument, a spiralling marble tower carved with scenes; and countless Liberty-style angels, mourning figures and portrait busts, with later modernist works by architects and artists such as Gio Ponti and Arnaldo Pomodoro. The Jewish and non-Catholic sections, the war memorials and the simple graves of famous Milanese of the last century add more layers of history. The cemetery is peaceful and green, entry is free, and the city provides maps and guided routes. Visit with the respect due to an active cemetery: families still come here every day, and the Monumentale is particularly busy around the first days of November, when Milanese traditionally visit their dead.

Visiting: the cemetery is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from morning to late afternoon, and closed on most Mondays; entry is free. An information point near the entrance provides maps, and the city's official cemetery website lists itineraries, such as general and historical routes, and guided visits run by the city and by authorised guides. Photography for personal use is generally allowed, but be discreet around mourners and services.

How to see it: pick up a map and choose a route. The Famedio is the obvious starting point, followed by the central avenues for the grandest monuments. Allow at least an hour and a half; the cemetery is very large, and wandering without a plan can lead to a lot of walking. Wear comfortable shoes, and bring water in summer, as shade is uneven.

Combining it: the Monumentale is a short walk from the Monumentale stop on metro line M5 and from the Porta Garibaldi station area. From there it is ten to fifteen minutes on foot to Piazza Gae Aulenti, the Bosco Verticale and the Isola district, which makes a striking afternoon contrast between the old city of the dead and the new skyline of Porta Nuova.