“One of the wonders of the world”: with these words Ernest Hemingway described the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, a true open-air museum, now considered one of the most important and fascinating in Europe. In the company of a tour guide you will discover its most hidden corners, which only the Genoese know. The vastness of its imposing funerary monuments, the hundreds of statues lined up in the arcades, make it an essential place to learn about sculpture in Liguria between the 19th and 20th centuries. Several thematic itineraries allow visitors to discover the many artistic currents present: from Classicism to Romanticism, from Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance realism to Art Nouveau and Symbolism. Famous sons of the Ligurian capital are buried at Staglieno, Joseph Mazzini, Nino Bixio, numerous Garibaldians who were part of the Expedition of the Thousand, Michele Novaro -author of the music of the’Italian National Anthem -, actor Gilberto Govi; but also the writer Fernanda Pivano, the poet Edoardo Sanguineti, the singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André.
Guy de Maupassant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Empress Elisabeth of Austria “Sissi” are just a few of the many historical figures, men of letters, philosophers, who left testimonies of their wanderings along the great monumental galleries. They all recalled the great impression and charm of this place of public and private memories, where the monumental will is combined with the “romantic” suggestion of the landscape. Mark Twain wrote, “My last visit was to the Cemetery, and one which I shall continue to remember when I have forgotten the buildings.”.
Our team of guides can suggest to the schools on field trips in Genoa proposals for day trips or stays; in particular, a guided tour on the theme of the Risorgimento may include a visit to Mazzini's house and a guided tour of Staglieno Cemetery (Mazzini's tomb, burials of the Thousand...).
