Monumental Cemetery

The Monumental Cemetery of Verona, located in the Borgo Venezia district, is much more than just a cemetery: it is a true open-air museum, rich in history, art, and collective memory. Built starting in 1828 according to the design of architect Giuseppe Barbieri, the cemetery was a response to Napoleon’s Saint-Cloud edict of 1804, which required cemeteries to be located outside city walls for hygienic-sanitary and political reasons. The chosen site was the vast area of Campo Marzo, just outside Porta Vittoria, along the left bank of the Adige River. Barbieri’s design adopted a neoclassical style, characterized by Doric columns and a sober yet elegant facade, with Canovian influences. The main architectural elements include various Pantheons: the Resurrecturis at the main entrance, the Piis Lacrimis, modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, the Ingenio Claris for illustrious Veronese, and the Beneficis in Patriam dedicated to the city’s benefactors. These neoclassical buildings not only organize the cemetery space but also represent symbols of prestige and memory. The cemetery has continued to evolve over time. In the 1930s, Verona’s urban and demographic expansion necessitated significant expansion, leading to the creation of the New Cemetery. This includes the Shrine dedicated to the fallen of the Great War and the Garden Cemetery, known for its small family chapels and precious funerary shrines. During World War II, the cemetery suffered significant damage due to bombings that hit the nearby Porta Vescovo railway station, requiring subsequent reconstruction and restoration work. The Monumental Cemetery houses the tombs of many illustrious figures who have left their mark on Verona’s cultural and political history. Among them are the writer Emilio Salgari, famous for his adventure novels such as those in the Sandokan series, and the futurist Umberto Boccioni, who tragically died in Verona in 1916. Other notable names include the poet Lionello Fiumi, the composer Ippolito Pindemonte, and the Risorgimento martyr Carlo Montanari. The tombs of these figures are often adorned with sculptures and monuments created by renowned artists such as Giovanni Duprè, Luigi and Ettore Ferrari, and Ugo Zannoni. Among the most notable sculptures in the cemetery are the two lions on either side of the entrance staircase, created by Francesco Pegrassi, which the people of Verona have ironically nicknamed “the hotel of the two lions.” These lions are inspired by those on the tomb of Clement XIII, created by Antonio Canova for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.