In burial places between culture and memory

 GENOA - It is the week dedicated to historical-monumental cemeteries from all over Europe promoted by Asce, Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe: burial places are celebrated with events, demonstrations, readings, theatrical animations, concerts, exhibitions until 5 June and guided tours.

Founded in 2001 in Bologna, the association aims to promote, enhance and restore the great artistic and cultural heritage of the historic cemeteries of 22 European countries.

Since 1851 Staglieno, the monumental cemetery of Genoa in Val Bisagno, is a place full of works of art and sculptures, an open-air museum with gardens, designed by the architect Carlo Barabino, which house a copy of the Pantheon.

Among the most famous and visited works, the Angel of Monteverde and the historic tomb of Giuseppe Mazzini stand out,

but it is impossible not to go to the places where illustrious and beloved personalities such as Fabrizio De André, Fernanda Pivano and Edoardo Sanguineti marry.

To celebrate the week of historical-monumental cemeteries of Europe, in Staglieno you can attend thematic itineraries, guided tours, live lessons and classical music concerts.

    "RisorgimentoDonna: history, future and female peace" is the theme of this year's edition which until June 8 tells about women's commitment to peace through guided tours and itineraries.

There will be a show in memory of Giuseppe Mazzini on the 150th anniversary of his death and the performance of a young Ukrainian soprano, as a bridge between past and present and a message of peace.

The inauguration of the new Info-Point and the presentation of restoration projects are also planned;

info: staglieno.comune.genova.it The Certosa, historic burial site in Bologna, is one of the oldest in Europe and a site protected by Unesco: it is a monument of world importance for 19th and 20th century architecture century and for the vast patrimony of paintings and sculptures.

    Guided tours and concerts are planned for the celebrations.

    Other cemeteries in Emilia-Romagna also join the celebrations: on June 3 at 5 pm and for an hour and a half you can discover the historical and artistic tombs of the monumental cemetery of Cesena with the art expert Franco Trascali: its oldest part, you walk under the imposing Doric arcades and observe the busts and sculptures of the noble chapels.

During the guided tour it is possible to appreciate works of painting that adorn the tombs of the second half of the 19th century and of artistic crafts such as the elegant bronze gate of the Serra chapel.

To book, write to: iat@comune.cesena.fc.it Visits, concerts and shows also at Piratello di Imola, San Cataldo di Modena, Villetta di Parma and in the Ferrara cemetery.

    Lessons and guided tours with art students in the cemetery of Athens, built in 1837, an open-air museum in the heart of the Greek capital, a 15-minute walk from the Acropolis.

Events and demonstrations also in Kerepesi, the historic cemetery of Budapest, with visits to its large mausoleums and to the many art statues.

Founded in 1847, the Hungarian monumental cemetery covers 56 hectares and houses the graves of illustrious personalities.

Since 1958 inside the necropolis there is a mausoleum dedicated to the movement of workers.

    Until 5 June, free guided tours also in the Ljubljana cemetery, among chapels, statues and works of art and a visit to the carpentry workshops and the famous Žale by architect Plečnik.

    To pay homage to the celebrations, we suggest 5 other prestigious burial sites from the Old Continent.

    Skogskyrkogården, the cemetery of Stockholm, is the first that UNESCO has declared a World Heritage Site (the second is the Certosa di Bologna).

It rises in the wood of Enskede, a district south of the Swedish capital, and is a place full of modernist architecture and monuments, where the tombs lie on grassy meadows and under the canopy of centuries-old trees.

It is a pleasure to walk along the avenues and paths that lead into the woods and arrive at the simple tomb where the great actress Greta Garbo rests.

    Suggestive is Almhöjden, the hill of meditation, covered with elms.

    In Père-Lachaise, the cemetery of Paris, the most visited tomb is that of the musician Jim Morrison where fans from all over the world leave there tickets, flowers and personal items;

yet Père-Lachaise is the place where the remains of many other illustrious personalities rest: Oscar Wilde, Eugène Delacroix, Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, Édith Piaf and Marcel Proust.

This is why the cemetery is one of the monuments to visit in the French capital, easily accessible and pleasant even just for a walk among the tree-lined avenues and funerary works of art, Gothic tombs and ancient-style mausoleums.

    Starì židovskì orbito is the old and historic Jewish cemetery in Prague where the graves are piled on top of each other and moss covers the most hidden tombstones.

The cemetery is part of the Synagogues circuit, in the Jewish quarter of the Czech capital, which is why you pay to enter just like for a museum.

The visit is suggestive because you walk next to 9 layers of tombs that tell the story of ancient families from the fifteenth century.

Over time, instead of flowers, stones and engravings have accumulated on the tombstones according to the Jewish tradition.

    Zentralfriedhof is the central cemetery of Vienna and is the second largest in Europe, after that of Hamburg.

Here, among classic and liberty funeral monuments, rest illustrious musicians such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms and Johann Strauss.

The modernist Steinhof church, a masterpiece by the architect Otto Wagner, is beautiful.

    Assistens is the cemetery of Copenhagen and is located in a park where the inhabitants walk, jog and relax on the grass a stone's throw from the graves.

The cemetery dates back to 1760 and illustrious Danish personalities are buried there: from the philosopher Kierkegaard to the famous fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen;

the Neapolitan sculptor Giovanni Domenico, author of Rococo works, also rests there.

(HANDLE).