WDEC 2026 in Bologna and its Metropolitan Area

Discover the program of events taking place in Bologna Metropolitan Area during the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2026.

In the Bologna Metropolitan Area, there are five cemeteries recognized as "monumental and historic cemeteries of Emilia-Romagna" under Regional Law 21/2022: the Certosa Monumental Cemetery of Bologna, the Piratello Cemetery of Imola, the Casaglia Cemetery of Marzabotto, the Medicina Cemetery, and the San Giovanni in Persiceto Cemetery.

During the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2026, the Città Metropolitana di Bologna (Metropolitan City of Bologna) and Settore Musei Civici Bologna (Bologna Civic Museums Sector), for the hird consecutive year, are promoting a coordinated calendar of guided tours and initiatives dedicated to historical, artistic, and naturalistic itineraries in these locations.

Bologna - Certosa Monumental Cemetery

Friday, May 22 | 4:00 PM
In the Footsteps of Farinelli and His Family

Guided tour with Luigi Verdi exploring the memorial of Carlo Broschi, the legendary 18th-century singer known as Farinelli. The journey winds through silent cloisters to discover the tombs of his family members, weaving together art, music, and society from the 1700s to the present day. Inspired by the 2026 publication "Famiglie del Farinelli e loro dimore".

Organized by: Museo Civico del Risorgimento with Associazione Amici della Certosa.
Booking: Recommended at prenotazionicertosa@gmail.com.
Admission: Free.

Saturday, May 23 | 3:00 PM
Truth or Lies?

Guided tour with Roberto Martorelli. Inspired by the writings of Basile Joseph Ducos (1819-1820), this walk through the UNESCO World Heritage site questions whether the virtuous inscriptions on tombstones always tell the truth.

Organized by: Museo Civico del Risorgimento with Associazione Amici della Certosa.
Booking: Mandatory at prenotazionicertosa@gmail.com (confirmation email required).
Admission: €10.00 / €8.00 for Card Cultura holders (cash preferred).

Sunday, May 24 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Musical Weaves in Certosa

An independent tour where monuments are paired with ancient and modern songs. Visitors are encouraged to bring a smartphone and headphones to listen to tracks suggested by a mediator. A special guide sheet will be provided at the Infopoint to help you create your own "Certosa playlist".

Organized by: MIA (Innovative and Open Museums) for Museo Civico del Risorgimento.
Departure: Historical-Artistic Info Point, via della Certosa 18.
Admission: Free.

Sunday, May 24 | 10:30 AM
Underground Certosa: An Unusual Journey

Discover the least-known areas of the cemetery, including mysterious galleries, cold underground tunnels, and hidden cloisters. The tour includes the tragic story of Radio, a young submariner, and a look at modern artworks hidden from the hurried visitor.

Organized by: Mirarte.
Booking: Mandatory at mirartecoop.it.
Admission: €14.00 full / €10.00 reduced (children 6-12, people with disabilities).

Monday, May 25 | 4:00 PM
Biographical Visit to Bologna’s Greatest Monument

Guided tour with Mauro Felicori (founder and former president of ASCE) and Roberto Martorelli. The tour traces the complex's rebirth since 1999 and its recent recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Organized by: Associazione Amici della Certosa with Museo Civico del Risorgimento.
Booking: Mandatory at amicidellacertosa@gmail.com.
Admission: Free.

Tuesday, May 26 | 7:00 PM
NEPHESH | Protecting the Shadow

An immersive sonic walk through the cemetery using headphones. This poetic journey by Alessandro Renda explores the connection between the living and the dead.

Organized by: Ravenna Teatro in collaboration with perAspera Festival.
Booking: Mandatory pre-sale at www.ravennateatro.com/nephesh-certosa/.
Admission: €18.00.

Thursday, May 28 | 6:00 PM
Certosa T900: Memory and Guardianship

A meeting with Mauro Felicori discussing a collective study project on 20th-century tombs. The project involves photographers, volunteers, and students to preserve the city's memory for the future.

Organized by: Associazione Amici della Certosa with Museo Civico del Risorgimento.
Booking: Mandatory at amicidellacertosa@gmail.com.
Admission: Free.

Thursday, May 28 | 9:00 PM
Certosa: Nature and Death

A guided walk through the 19th-century garden of memory, exploring the botany and symbolism of death. Guided by biologist Francesco Nigro, this tour reveals the vibrant "urban nature" hidden within the city of the dead.

Meeting Point: Via della Certosa 22 (Italian Military Monument).
Organized by: Associazione Vitruvio.
Booking: Mandatory at associazione.vitruvio@gmail.com or +39 329 3659446.
Admission: €12.00 (Comfortable shoes and a flashlight/smartphone are recommended).

Saturday, May 30 | 10:30 AM
A Sunset of Joyful Notes – Bolognese Arts of the late 1700s

A walk with Roberto Martorelli through the UNESCO cloisters to discover the sculptors, painters, and composers who lived during the transition from Baroque to Neoclassical culture.

Organized by: Museo Civico del Risorgimento with Associazione Amici della Certosa.
Booking: Mandatory at prenotazionicertosa@gmail.com (confirmation email required).
Admission: €10.00 / €8.00 for Card Cultura holders (cash preferred).

Saturday, May 30 | 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM
Adore the Stars that Never Fade – Napoleon and Murat in Bologna

A grand historical reenactment featuring the meeting of Emperor Napoleon and the King of Naples. The event includes historical groups and a special guest, Prince Joachim Murat, heir to the Prince.

Afternoon Session (3:30 PM): Meet at Ingresso Piangoloni; includes a tour and photo shoot at the Pantheon.
Evening Session (7:30 PM): Meet at Ingresso Piangoloni; arrival of Napoleon and Murat followed by group tours of historical stops.
Booking: Mandatory via Eventbrite.
Admission: Free.

Sunday, May 31 | 3:30 PM
The Certosa of Bologna: An Open Book on History

An "ABC" tour for first-time visitors, covering everything from the Etruscan necropolis to the monastery and the modern cemetery. Visit the tombs of famous figures like Lucio Dalla, Giosue Carducci, and Alfieri Maserati.

Organized by: Mirarte.
Booking: Mandatory at mirartecoop.it/eventi/.
Admission: €14.00 full / €10.00 reduced.

May 28 – September 25, 2026
Theater Workshop: Souls on Stage

A sensory theater workshop held within the cemetery itself. Led by actress Luisa Vitali and director Luca Ghelfi, the course uses the statues and epitaphs as inspiration for vocal and physical expression.

Schedule: Generally on Thursdays after closing (sunset or night); approx. 2 hours per session.
Cost: €100 for a minimum of 4 sessions.
Meeting Point: Italian Military Monument, via della Certosa 22.
Info/Booking: luisa.vitali@rimacheride.it (WhatsApp only) at +39 335 6820121.

May 22 – June 7, 2026
Exhibition: Walks in Certosa

From Neoclassicism to Liberty in Funerary Monuments | Chiostro dell’Ossaia / delle Madonne
A photographic exhibition by Artecittà-APS documenting a century of funerary art, from Neoclassical motifs to the Art Nouveau revolution.

Visiting Hours: Daily, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM.

May 2026 | Free Guided Tours
Scheduled on: May 23 (10:30 AM), May 24 (4:00 PM), May 29 (10:30 AM), May 31 (10:30 AM)

Booking: Mandatory at info@bolognartecitta.it or +39 333 6917884 (WhatsApp only).

Medicina - Medicina Cemetery

Sunday, May 24 | 10:30 AM | Guided Tour
Paths of Memories from Medicina

A walk from the Municipal Library to the Historical Cemetery to discover the figures who contributed to the history of their community. During the tour, participants will receive a copy of the cemetery guide, produced thanks to Regional Law 21/2022.

Organized by: Municipality of Medicina with Area Blu and the Museo del Risorgimento di Bologna.
Meeting Point: Entrance of the Library, via Pillio 1, Medicina.
Admission: Free with reservation at +39 0516979209 or serviziculturali@comune.medicina.bo.it.

Wednesday, May 27 | 9:30 PM | Guided Tour
Faces, Stories, and Words from the City of Medicina

A nocturnal walk to rediscover the present through the forms of the past. Rice weeders (mondine), teachers, and artisans who lived through and documented the long period from Italian Unification to the birth of the Republic. During the tour, the cemetery guide (Regional Law 21/2022) will be distributed. Note: Bring a flashlight or use your smartphone light; comfortable shoes are recommended.

Organized by: Municipality of Medicina with Area Blu and the Museo del Risorgimento di Bologna.
Meeting Point: 15 minutes before the start at the entrance of the Historical Cemetery, via della Resistenza 322.
Admission: Free with reservation at +39 0516979209 or serviziculturali@comune.medicina.bo.it.

San Giovanni in Persiceto - San Giovanni in Persiceto Cemetery

Sunday, May 24 | 4:00 PM | Guided Tour
To Say, To Do, To Teach

With the birth of the new Kingdom of Italy, a gradual effort to improve literacy across the nation began, establishing a minimum requirement for compulsory schooling—initially for two years, and later extended to three. The transfer of knowledge became a way to shape independent and supportive citizens, and an opportunity to "leave a positive mark" on younger generations by nurturing their dreams and vocations. Education was seen as a bridge between people and cultures. Walking through the courtyards and porticoes of the Historical Monumental Cemetery, we will discover the stories of teachers and mentors who made Persiceto famous in the fields of music, science, literature, and medicine.

Meeting Point: In front of the entrance of the Historical Monumental Cemetery (Circonvallazione Vittorio Veneto, 24).
Admission: Full: €12.00 / Reduced (Ages 14-18): €7.00 / Children under 14: Free
Booking: Mandatory.

Information & Reservations: IAT-R PIANURA BOLOGNESE - Tourist Information Office
Phone & WhatsApp: +39 348 731 8029
Email: cultura.turismo@comunepersiceto.it

WDEC 2022 in Bologna, Italy, and summer calendar

Art, history, theatre, music, to immerse yourself in the city of memory and discover its beauties and secrets. The Certosa of Bologna summer calendar, the review of cultural events curated by the Civic Museum of the Risorgimento of Bologna, with the contribution of Bologna Servizi Cimiteriali, returns from May 26th to November 2nd to enhance and promote the knowledge of the historical, artistic and architectural heritage enclosed in the monumental cemetery, regard as one of the most beautiful and important in Europe. 

The initiative launched in Bologna, which has now reached its fourteenth edition, is among the first national and international initiatives in tackling the complex challenge of changing the perception of cemeteries from places dedicated to the burial of the dead to places of significant cultural interest, which preserve a heritage that reflects the history of the city. Today, thanks to an increasingly widespread sensitivity, taking care of cemeteries means reclaiming the cultural dimensions that these places, which are actual open-air garden-museums, can offer as permanent educational environments for different audiences, from citizens to tourists, from adults to young people.  

About sixty appointments are proposed this year, which include guided tours, thematic visits, animated lessons, concerts and plays: about forty of them will take place during the evening. But there will be also activities at other times of the day – in the morning, in the afternoon, at sunset – and they will be capable of offering elements of astonishment, beauty and meditation thanks to the spectacular and precious monumental setting and its unique scenographic backgrounds. 

Every year, with the Certosa summer calendar, the Civic Museum of the Risorgimento renews an interdisciplinary collaboration agreement with the world of cultural associations, third sector and professional tour guides of the city, for a wide and multifaceted dissemination of the approaches of knowledge related to the monumental complex. 

In 2022, the museum has proposed three main topics, through a public notice for the selection of the project proposals to be included in the program: the history of Bologna in the “Long nineteenth century” (1796-1915); Young Italy, young Europe; Ideas, struggles, emancipation; the tenth anniversary of Lucio Dalla’s death. 

Alongside these three strands are other narrative plots, full of fascination and suggestion, which draw inspiration from the testimonies of the past that the place offers: from funeral rituals, as an element of religious and civic identity, to the biographical events of women who lived in different eras and share the courage of social emancipation inspired by Giuseppe Mazzini’s and the partisans’ ideals. From the history of the Pizzardi family, a protagonist of the economic and political development of Bologna, retraced on the occasion of the centenary of the marquis Carlo Alberto Pizzardi’s death, to the work of the sculptor and medalist Renaud Martelli, author of funerary art masterpieces which were made at the Certosa in the 1940s and 1960s. And, furthermore, the Trekking dell’Altro Mondo, with a dynamic and unusual marathon to experience the Certosa in the spirit of the playable city: guided tours dedicated to great citizens of Bologna, such as Ottorino Respighi, Giorgio Morandi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Roberto Roversi; the journey of the sculptor Marco Marchesini to discover, in the days of the summer solstice, the astronomical and astrological coincidences that we can find inside and outside the cemetery; the fourth edition of the multi-sensory performance Sound and Silence; the requiem mass between Marco Enrico Bossi and Ildebrando Pizzetti. The thematic guided tours to discover crimes and passions, arcane and mysterious symbols, are also re-proposed, in a few cases with new itineraries: the audience always follows them with great participation. 

In addition to the programming, there is a new element which contributes to the peculiarity of this fourteenth edition. The stage, made up of a harmonious succession of cloisters, rooms, galleries, aedicles and chapels, with examples of highly-regarded funerary art, an expression of the main styles and artistic currents between the XIX and XX centuries, offers a rediscovered point of attractiveness in the portico, included among the 12 components selected as a representative expression of the urban identity of Bologna and its system of covered walkways, which in 2021 were awarded with the UNESCO World Heritage recognition. 

Highlighting its involvement in an international network for the enhancement of historic cemeteries, the Bolognese event starts on the occasion of the annual Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, organized by the ASCE – Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe to raise the awareness of European citizens on the importance of cemeteries, and present them from a different perspective to all their visitors.

As usual, the calendar will extend beyond the summer season and will end symbolically in remembrance on November 2nd, 2022, the day on which the Day of the Dead is celebrated. 

The Civic Museum of the Risorgimento participates in the SE.F.IT. technical committee, created for the historical-artistic enhancement of the Italian monumental cemeteries, made up of a small group of members of UTILITALIA-SE.F.IT (Servizi Funerari Italiani), among which are the cemeteries of Genoa, Turin, Rome, Ferrara, Milan, Trento, Bolzano, Mantua, Parma and Modena. 

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Mazzini, on May 26th, Bologna, with its wonderful Certosa Cemetery, will be the pilot city where the national project “GIOVINE ITALIA, GIOVINE EUROPA – ideas, struggles, emancipation - 2022 Historical Reenactment”, proposed by 8cento APS and to which the technical committee has adhered, will start. New cultural itineraries, animated by scenes with participants in nineteenth-century costumes, will travel throughout Italy to celebrate the memory of female characters who participated in or contributed actively to write the history of Mazzini. 

The Certosa’s 2022 summer calendar has been created by Istituzione Bologna Musei | Civic Museum of the Risorgimento with: Associazione Co.Me.Te., Coro Euridice, Associazione Dolci Accenti - Educazione e Divulgazione Musicale, Istantanea Teatro, Associazione culturale Memori, Jaya - MetROzero, Cooperativa sociale Mirarte, Gruppo teatrale Più o Meno, Associazione culturale Rimachèride, Teatro Circolare.

With the collaboration of: 8cento APS, ASCE - Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe, Associazione Amici della Certosa, MIA – Musei Inclusivi e Aperti, Padri Passionisti, Teatro del Baraccano.

In the context of: Bologna Estate 2022, the program of activities promoted by the Municipality of Bologna and the Metropolitan City of Bologna – Bologna-Modena Tourist Territory. 

With the contribution of: Bologna Servizi Cimiteriali

Info and complete programme: www.museibologna.it/risorgimento

Certosa of Bologna designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the porticos of the city

On July 28, 2021, the porticos of Bologna were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The candidacy process began in 2006, when they became part of the Italian list of candidate sites. The property includes 12 groups of porticos and the surrounding built-up areas, located within the Municipality of Bologna.

This architectural typology is undoubtedly the most representative of the city and extends for a total of 62 kilometers. It is, in fact, considered an element of urban identity - as the Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini underlines, highlighting how its unique nature deserves to be promoted. 

In the course of 2020 the candidacy dossier has been revised, enriched and strengthened by including other places in the fabric of the city of historical, architectural and artistic importance closely related to the porticos selected, such as the Palazzo della Mercanzia, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Baraccano, the system of Piazze (Maggiore, Re Enzo and Nettuno), the stretch of the plain of the portico of San Luca up to the Arco Bonaccorsi, the Pinacoteca Nazionale, the portico of Alemanni and part of the monumental area of the Certosa Cemetery. 

With this recognition, the Certosa of Bologna Monumental Cemetery becomes a World Heritage Site. 

The straight porticoed structure over seven hundred meters long that connects the cemetery to the portico of San Luca - the longest in the world - is a unique example of a modern sepulchral portico, built between 1811 and 1834 thanks to the generosity of its citizens. Ercole Gasparini's project was to physically connect the city of the dead with the city of the living, continuing the centuries-old local tradition of connecting places outside the city center to the city. 

The Certosa Cemetery was founded in 1801 after the Napoleonic edict of Saint-Cloud, on the model of the ancient Roman sepulchral roads, converting the Carthusian convent built in 1334, of which today the church of San Girolamo remains. The monumental complex is the result of an articulated stratification of loggias, cloisters and buildings belonging to various chronological phases, whose fulcrum is represented by the Chiostro Terzo, which is influenced by the local neoclassical culture. Inside, there is a noteworthy repertoire of paintings and sculptures made by the most virtuous Bolognese artists active in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

In the cemetery are housed some important local and national figures: among them the statesman Marco Minghetti; the painters Giorgio Morandi and Bruno Saetti; the Nobel Prize for literature Giosue Carducci and the writer Riccardo Bacchelli; the opera singer Carlo Broschi, the composer Ottorino Respighi and the singer Lucio Dalla; the general Giuseppe Grabinski and the prime minister Taddeo Matuszevic; as well as the founders of the companies Maserati, Ducati and Weber and of the publishing house Zanichelli. 

Throughout the nineteenth century, the Cemetery was a privileged destination for visitors to Bologna, whose most illustrious names include: Lord Byron, Jules Janin, Charles Dickens and Theodor Mommsen.

It is, therefore, an exceptional place from the historical and cultural artistic point of view in the national and international panorama, worthy of the highest form of protection and promotion. The Portico of Certosa was designed by Ercole Gasparini between 1811 and 1834. In the original idea, the building was meant to be longer, but only the section from the Arco del Meloncello to the Reno Canal was built. In reality, there are traces of another segment, totally distorted and incorporated with the subsequent enlargements: it is a short corridor that runs along the west side of the courtyard of the Monumental Entrance and that preserves some nineteenth-century tombs. Gasparini's idea was that the portico should connect seamlessly with the Certosa, reaching its center, giving real form to an ideal union between the city of the living and the city of the dead. 

The area selected as UNESCO heritage is the one that has more relevance both from an architectural and theoretical point of view with Gasperini's project. Some areas of the twentieth century are thus included because they were built respecting the urban form of the nineteenth-century cemetery (Chiostro VIII, Chiostro IX for example) or because they conclude an idea that was never realized. The Chiostro VI or of the Great War was completed almost a century after the Portico della Certosa, but it traces the area and the spirit of what should have been the 'Chiostro del Pantheon' which was only realized in the south side, then demolished and preserved only for the monuments that had been built in the meantime. It is not by chance that in this part of the VI Cloister there are some tombs dating back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, such as the one dedicated to the sculptor Alessandro Franceschi, whose presence would not be explained otherwise.

Certosa of Bologna summer calendar 2019 (23rd May - 26th September)

The Certosa of Bologna events calendar is back from 23rd May to 26th September 2019. It is a summer calendar organised by the Museo civico del Risorgimento and now on its 11th year.

It includes more than sixty dates ranging from travelling shows, audio-visual performances and theatre which will make use of the Certosa as an attractive backdrop, in addition to the now regular guided visits to Bologna’s art and history. The evening events will also be supplemented by guided day visits and sunset walks, workshops and conferences.

The new feature this year is the events organised by the three important town associations working with disability: Accaparlante – CDH, Istituto dei Ciechi Francesco Cavazza and Fondazione Gualandi A Favore Dei Sordi.

For the first time in Bologna these three associations have worked together on a shared cultural project, designing four workshop-itineraries (13th and 20th July, 12th and 21st September) and a theatre date (24th September).
In the first case visitors will find out about past work and stories via accessible itineraries in which all their senses will be put to the test and they will have to work together to move around the Certosa, to give a voice to the work or find the exits. In the second, visitors will discover how a whole city can be memorised via their own bodies.

In conjunction with the beginning of the summer programme, from 23rd May, an English language website on the Certosa, created thanks to the contribution of Bologna Servizi Cimiteriali and the co-operation of Liceo Ginnasio “Luigi Galvani” and Associazione Amici della Certosa, will go online. It is designed to make this great Bologna monument more accessible and user friendly for both Italian and international tourists.

Once again designed to promote the Certosa outside the local area, too, the Museo civico del Risorgimento’s partnership with Tavolo Tecnico SE.F.IT. for the promotion of Italy’s historic and artistic cemetery sites will be continuing with a small number of members of UTILITALIA - SE.F.IT. (Servizi Funerari Italiani), including Bologna Servizi Cimiteriali, with the participation of the museum itself together with the most important Italian cemeteries including Genoa, Turin, Rome, Ferrara, Milan, Trento and Mantua.

The initiatives proposed by the technical panel on the occasion of the annual European Exploring Cemeteries Week promoted by ASCE – Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe, this year from 24th May to 2nd June, include the publication of a brochure encompassing all the activities organised by 10 Italian cemeteries (in addition to the Bologna Certosa, the Trento, Villetta di Parma, Genoa Staglieno, Certosa di Ferrara, Tempio crematorio Socrem in Turin, Monumentale di Milano, Monumentale di Torino, Bolzano, Monumentale di Mantova and Rome's Verano cemeteries will also be taking part).

In addition to this nation-wide promotion and publicity strategy, there will also be a photographic exhibition set up and visible in digital form at all participating cemeteries which will feature certain representative images of the cemeteries themselves.

In Bologna the photo gallery will be visible in digital format at the Certosa on both an info totem located in the room next to the history-art Info Point as well as online on www.storiaememoriadibologna.it. The totem, made by Liceo Arcangeli’s students on work experience, encompasses a tablet for web access which enables visitors to explore all the other contents of the Storia e Memoria di Bologna portal.

In terms of promoting the cemetery in tourist terms and in the context of improving public services, a wi-fi internet access service is available at the Info Point, thanks to the support of Bologna town council’s Digital and IT Agenda Sector, giving free access to the whole Iperbole Wireless network from the Chiesa di San Girolamo courtyard, too.

The example of Bologna confirms the growth of a cultural memory tourism sector whose focus is funerary monuments in the sense of cultural heritage, with an interesting level of internationalisation. In 2018 1748 people visited the site, including 126 non-Italians, registering at the Certosa Info Point. They came from 13 different nations: Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Mexico, Germany, France, Belgium, the United States, Austria, Russia, Japan, Holland and Vietnam.

The Certosa of Bologna. Summer calendar is realized by Istituzione Bologna Musei | Museo civico del Risorgimento with: Associazione Amici della Certosa, Associazione Correnti d'Arte - Compagnia d’Arte Drummatica, Associazione Culturale Youkali, Associazione culturale Rimachèride, Associazione culturale Didasco, Associazione Dolci Accenti, Associazione Musica e Nuvole, Associazione RestauriAmo, Associazione Vitruvio, Tempo Reale - Centro di Ricerca Produzione e Didattica Musicale, Fondazione Collegio Artistico Venturoli, Cooperativa Sociale Accaparlante - CDH, Fondazione Gualandi A Favore dei Sordi, G.A.I.A. eventi, Istituto dei Ciechi Francesco Cavazza, Istantanea Teatro.
With the cooperation fo: ASCE - Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe, Associazione 8cento, BSC - Bologna Servizi Cimiteriali, AICS Bologna, Collettivo della Scuola di Musica Elettronica di Bologna, IT.A.CÀ - festival del turismo responsabile, Libreria Atlantide, Libreria Trame, Liceo Ginnasio Luigi Galvani.

Info: www.museibologna.it/risorgimento

WDEC 2017 - Monumental Cemetery Certosa of Bologna

The 2017 summer calendar in the Certosa, Bologna Monumental Cemetery, is now here with a new series of night walks and events.

The collaboration of various entities of Bologna allowed putting together a very rich programme featuring 50 events: guided tours, theatre events, itinerant shows,etc.

Thus art, history, anecdotes and reflections will bring the spotlight back onto the Certosa from 28th May to 30 September 2017.

Certosa of Bologna. WDEC and Summer calendar 2016 (28 May - 28 September)

More than 50 events to take place from 28 May to 28 September inside Certosa, the Monumental Cemetery of Bologna.

A new agreement for the enhancement and promotion of the Certosa Monumental Cemetery in Bologna

A cooperation agreement was signed between the Museo civico del Risorgimento of Bologna and the Associazione Amici della Certosa.

The Monumental Cemetery of Trento hosts "Dante 750. Descent into Hell"

Friday 11 and Saturday 12 2015, 8.30 pm.

Certosa of Bologna. WDEC and summer calendar 2015 (26 May - 29 September)

Thirty appointments plus guided visits.

New restoration projects for the Certosa, Bologna Monumental Cemetery

The monumental area of the town cemetery of Bologna is now beginning to reflect its former splendour.

Bologna, Certosa Cemetery and Sigmund Freud

Also Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, visited Certosa, Bologna Monumental Cemetery.

Certosa of Bologna. Summer calendar 2014 (25th May - 30th September)

The summer calendar of events in Certosa of Bologna is back.

WDEC 2014 in Certosa, Bologna Monumental Cemetery

Get ready to visit Bologna.

Volunteers at the service of the Certosa’s cultural heritage

It is stated that ordinary maintenance is the only means we have to assure the conservation of our artistic heritage. This has been known for a long time, and still has its supporters today, but it is often difficult to put into practice although it should be effected constantly in order to be effective and attain the objective of keeping to a minimum more drastic interventions of restoration.

Picking up on the agreement recently signed with the Istituzione Bologna Musei | Museo civico del Risorgimento, the Associazione Amici della Certosa is launching a project called "Il volontariato al servizio del patrimonio culturale della Certosa" (“Volunteers at the service of the Certosa’s cultural heritage”): three meetings for study and two practical experiences that will see four volunteers involved in simple cleaning operations of the Certosa’s  monuments.

Two restorers, Lucia Vanghi and Valentina Begliossi, will train willing members of the Associazione Amici della Certosa for 2014. The participants trained in this way will undertake some simple cleaning and dusting of works selected by the Museo civico del Risorgimento, in accordance with the Soprintendenza per i beni architettonici, paesaggistici delle province di Bologna Modena e Reggio Emilia - Commissione Artistica and Bologna Servizi Cimiteriali.

The preparatory meetings at the Museo del Risorgimento are also open to non-members to give all the opportunity of acquiring information and a grounding in the conservation of cultural assets. The meetings will take place on Thursday 6^th, 13^th and 23^rd February (Museo civico del Risorgimento - Piazza Carducci 5, Bologna) and Saturday 1^st and Sunday 16^th March (Certosa di Bologna - via della Certosa 18, Bologna).

More info:
Museo civico del Risorgimento di Bologna
Associazione Amici della Certosa di Bologna

Lucio Dalla now resting in the family grave at Certosa, Bologna monumental Cemetery

Lucio Dalla - well-known Italian singer and songwriter suddenly passed away on March, 1st 2012 - is now resting in the family grave at Certosa, Bologna monumental cemetery (Italy).

The grave, realised by the sculptor Antonello Paladino after the designs of Stefano Cantaroni, a friend of the artist, portrays a bronze silhouette of the songwriter with a hat, a walking stick and a clarinet, his distinguishing features.

The grave is situated next to the ones of other great Bolognese figures of the 20th century, such as the poet Giosue Carducci and the composer Ottorino Respighi.

Colbran - Rossini Tomb

© photo Luigi Verdi

Giuseppe Rossini, Anna Guidarini (Gioacchino Rossini's parents)
Isabella Colbran, singer (Gioacchino Rossini's first wife)
Giovanni Colbran, violinist (Isabella Colbran's father)

Giosue Carducci (1835-1907)

In 1879 the future winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature composed the ode 'Fuori alla Certosa di Bologna', in which he retraces the age-old history of the place.

Photographic Exhibition “The Garden of Angels” of Nino Migliori

The Exhibition of the noted photographer Nino Migliori displays 15 photographs of the children section in Bologna’s Certosa Cemetery, the exhibition proposes a visionary presentation - the felicity, colorful toys, beloved objects which have accompanied the short life of children creating stimulating reality.

Photographs transport inside a joyful world, full of positive energies completely opposite with sentiments and emotions which normally tie with a place of eternal rest; but Nino Migliori always habituate us to re-read the news, to see a different viewpoint which overturns usual canons of seeing and hearing.

Images in exhibition born from the reflective use of electronic equipment, they coherently put in multiform itinerary of author and they found their roots in previous works. The first, the historic, is “The Machine” of 1973, a composition of 50 serigraph stamp with fluorescent colors, a pop transcription of a photograph of one of his “Walls”. Already in this work Migliori feels the necessity to “broke chromatic schemes”, he wants to supply an unfaithful translation of the real, suggesting “the fact” through a clear interpretation. The next reference is connected with series “Transfiguration” realized from 1998 to 2003, which figure the digital approach as a “natural passage” of technological walk which is at the base of photograph invention, but at the same time it represent also an further challenge and linguistic analyst of the vehicle.

"The Garden of Angels" take part of “Imago Mentis” project, works of series which Nino Migliori explain the reality with harsh colors, obtained by digital amplification.

The photographic exhibition catalogue is includes Marco Vallora’s texts and the valuable artist’s book contains original photographs of the artist, limited stamp of 48 copies.

Exhibition
“The Garden of Angels” of Nino Migliori
By: Roberto Martorelli
With contribution of: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna

Location
Civic Museum of Risorgimento
Piazza Cerducci, 5 – 40125 Bologna
tel. 051 347592
museorisorgimento@comune.bologna.it
www.museibologna.it/risorgimento

Running
From 2 June to 14 July
 
Opening
Saturday 1° June, at 11.00

Opening time
Tuesday-Sunday: 9-13

Admission price
Museum ticket (€ 5,00 full price / € 3,00 reduced price)

WDEC 2013 in Bologna - Certosa Cemetery

On the occasion of the Week of discovering European Cemeteries, the Museum of the Risorgimento of Bologna features three guided tours during the day, two evening events and the opening of the exhibition 'Il giardino degli angeli' (The Garden of Angels) by the Bologna photographer Nino Migliori.

The first evening event will take place on May, Friday 24th at 8.30 p.m. with the presentation of the book “Giuseppe Mengoni: un'opera svelata alla Certosa di Bologna” (Giuseppe Mengoni: a work unveiled at the Certosa in Bologna), followed by a guided tour.

Giuseppe Mengoni (Fontanelice, 1829 - Milan, 1877) is well known for designing the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, although it is often forgotten that he is also the creator of the imposing headquarters of the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna. The author of the majestic chapel dedicated to the Polish general officer Giuseppe Grabinski had been unknown until now, but thanks to the recovery of previously unpublished documents by Anna Maria Guccini it has been possible to attribute it to the famous architect.

On May, Sunday 26th the costume commemoration of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s visit to the Certosa will take place, the title being “Not a single ruin of Bologna will remain!”.

The Hero of Two Worlds arrived at the Certosa on August 16th, 1859 to commemorate the death of his friend Ugo Bassi, martyr of the Italian Risorgimento, executed by an Austrian firing squad on August 8th, 1849. Thanks to the finding of the speech delivered by Garibaldi and other previously unknown documents, several vicissitudes the two heroes went through together will be remembered. This event is the ideal continuation of the commemoration that will take place the previous day in Piazza Carducci in Bologna, entitled “Ugo Bassi - Storia e memoria” (Ugo Bassi – History and memory).

On June, Saturday 1st there will be the opening of the exhibition “Il giardino degli angeli” by the Bologna photographer Nino Migliori. He has concluded his artistic project, that lasted 4 years, within the sector of the Certosa of Bologna where children are buried. The artist provides us with an , interpretation of it that is visionary and joyful, at the same time: the colours of the toys and the beloved objects that accompanied the children’s short lives are modified to create an imaginative reality.

The last event will be on June, Sunday 2nd, featuring Briana Zaki and Valentina Franchino who will present a poetic and captivating dance show entitled “Stralunate” (Dazed).

The complete programme:
 

Friday, 24th May, 8.30 pm

Giuseppe Mengoni: un'opera svelata alla Certosa di Bologna

(Giuseppe Mengoni: a work unveiled at the Certosa in Bologna)

With Anna Maria Guccini, Daniela Sinigalliesi and Vincenzo Lucchese

Anna Maria Guccini is the author of the book who, thanks to the recovery of a few drawings, discovered the authorship – unknown until now – of the chapel dedicated to the Polish general officer Giuseppe Grabinski at the Certosa. At the end of the public presentation, a guided tour will follow, with Vincenzo Lucchese.
Free admission, booking required, please call 051.347592 (Tue-Sun 9a.m.-1p.m.) or write to museorisorgimento@comune.bologna.it

Meeting at the main entrance (Church Yard), 15 minutes before the start time.

Sunday 26th May, 9.00 pm

Di Bologna non si troveranno nemmeno le vestigia!
(Not a single ruin of Bologna will remain!)
Costume commemoration of Garibaldi’s visit to the Certosa

The Hero of Two Worlds arrived at the Certosa on August 16^th, 1859 to commemorate the death of his friend Ugo Bassi, martyr of the Italian Risorgimento, executed by an Austrian firing squad on August 8^th, 1849. Thanks to the finding of the speech delivered by Garibaldi and other previously unknown documents, several vicissitudes the two heroes went through together will be remembered. Organized by the Associations 8cento and Amici della Certosa.

Contribution required: € 8, of which 2 will be donated for the enhancement of the Cemetery. Booking required, please call 345.2699200 (afternoon-evening) or write to amicidellacertosa@gmail.com
Meeting at the main entrance of the Certosa (Church Yard), 15 minutes before the start time.

Monday 27th May, 4.30 pm
Coraggiosa pel mondo pellegrinò. L'immaginario infantile in Certosa
(Bravely she wandered the world. The infantile imagination at the Certosa)

Guided tour with Roberto Martorelli

Among the innumerable memories of the Certosa there are stories of little girls and boys, remembered also by way of majestic monuments. The visit is meant to be an introduction to the exhibition that Nino Migliori dedicates to the memory of the lost childhood.

Free admission, no booking required. Meeting at the main entrance of the Certosa (Church Yard), 15 minutes before the start time.

Tuesday 28th May, 4.30 pm

Vita petroniana: alla scoperta della nostra storia
(Life in Bologna: discovering our history)

Guided tour with Roberto Martorelli

Strolling among the Certosa cloisters and halls one can fantasize on the stories behind the Latin inscriptions, the precious marbles, the imposing chapels, the simple tombstones. The visit will reveal some well-known stories and others less so, about people from Bologna who have shaped our present day.

Free admission, no booking required. Meeting at the main entrance of the Certosa (Church Yard), 15 minutes before the start time.

Friday 31th May, 4.00 pm
La Certosa di Bologna: un libro aperto sulla Storia 

(The Bologna Certosa: a book open on History)
Guided tour with Vincenzo Lucchese and Daniela Sinigalliesi

Two exceptional guides will unveil the thousand-year old stratification of the Certosa: Etruscan necropolis, monastery and public cemetery. Delicate neoclassical graves, precious marbles and austere monuments will illustrate two centuries of art, in Bologna and in Italy.
Free admission, no booking required. Meeting at the main entrance of the Certosa (Church Yard), 15 minutes before the start time.

Saturday 1st  June, 11.00 pm

Opening of the exhibition “Il giardino degli angeli” by Nino Migliori

Museo civico del Risorgimento, Piazza Carducci 5
 

With this exhibition, the artist has concluded his artistic project, that lasted 4 years, within the sector of the Certosa of Bologna where children are buried. Nino Migliori provides us with an interpretation of it that is visionary and joyful at the same time, in which the colours of the toys and the beloved objects that accompanied the children’s short lives are modified to create an imaginative reality.

Free admission, no booking required.

Sunday 2nd June, 9.00 pm
Stralunate - Uno spettacolo di danza aerea e narrazione

(Dazed – An aerial dance and storytelling show)

Featuring and by Briana Zaki and Valentina Franchino

On the moon or with their feet firmly on the ground, two characters tell stories, also about themselves, between dreams and reality, the sky and the earth.

Booking required, please call 345.2699200 (afternoon-evening) or write to amicidellacertosa@gmail.com.
Meeting at the main entrance of the Certosa (Church Yard), 15 minutes before the start time.

Information on the entire programme:

Museo civico del Risorgiment di Bologna
tel. +39 051347592
museorisorgimento@comune.bologna.it
www.museibologna.it/risorgimento

Exhibition "Bologna Certosa with Dickens’ eyes"

The Associazione Amici della Certosa di Bologna in collaboration with Bologna Museo civico del Risorgimento and with Minerva Edizioni, worked together to organize this exhibition.