Genoa Cemetery- September 22, 2011
Today we visted the biggest cemetery in Genoa, and one of the biggest and most imporatnt cemeteries in Europe. I was wondering how we were going to fit just a cemetery into a half day trip, but when we got there and started walking around I realzied how big it was(more than a square kilometer) and how much there was to see. You could easily spend a few hours just walking around, enjoying the scenery and sounds and artistic quality of the place- it was very peaceful. This cemetery was created as a monument to the Plague in Europe, and it doubles as an open air museum of sculptures that extends from the valley up the hill where there is a great view of Genoa. Over 3 million people have been buried here and I can see why, it is a beautiful place. The cemetery was full of giant tombs that families own, and when a member of the family dies, they open the tomb for that person(this seemed a little odd to me). The richer families have giant tombs with detailed statues depicting a trait or mourning of the family that is still living. Guiditta told us some meanings behind the statues- some dealing with men who have died in war, or people who were charitable and so on. More than anything though, this graveyard we just a very peaceful and beautiful place.
Tomorrow we have the Villa Party!
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