WDEC 2026 in Lithuania

Highlights from the guided walks at historic cemeteries in Lithuania that were held as part of Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2026.

About the Event

As part of the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2026, the Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania organized several educational guided walks across Lithuanian cemeteries. Aligned with this year's global emphasis on quality education, these initiatives successfully highlighted Lithuania's historic burial grounds not merely as places of mourning, but as open-air museums rich in architectural, historical, and regional heritage.

Guided Walks at the Historic Cemeteries of Vilnius

In the capital city of Vilnius, the public was invited to explore some of the country's most significant historic cemeteries. Led by historian Vida Girininkienė, a series of three specialized educational walks took place at Rasos Cemetery and Antakalnis Cemetery:

• 27 May 2026 | Educational walk “Historical Rasos”
• 28 May 2026 | Educational walk “Artistic Rasos”
• 29 May 2026 | Educational walk “Antakalnis Cemetery: Historical Cross-Sections”

Guided Walk at Panevėžys Old Cemetery

In northern Lithuania, an educational event took place in Panevėžys on 28 May 2026. The event began in the education hall of the Panevėžys Local Lore Museum, featuring introductory greetings from the head of the division, Rasuolė Kerbedienė, and specialized presentations by cultural heritage experts Indrė Baliulytė and Rasa Visockaitė.

Following the presentations, museum historians Dr. Arūnas Astramskas and Jūratė Gaidelienė led an interactive educational walk at the Panevėžys Old Cemetery (also known as the St. Peter and Paul Parish Cemetery) entitled “Memory in Cemeteries: Personal or Public?” During the walk, they guided participants through the distinctive local funerary art and regional history of the site.

Event Highlights

For more details, visit the organizers' website.

Some highlights from the guided walks at Panevėžys Old Cemetery and Antakalnis Cemetery in Vilnius can be seen in the videos below.

Highlights from the WDEC 2026 in Krakow

Highlights and photographs from the guided walk held on 27 May 2026 at the New Cemetery of Podgórze in Kraków, Poland.

About the event

More than 30 people attended the guided walk “In the Footsteps of Famous People”, held on 27 May 2026 at the New Cemetery of Podgórze in Kraków. The event was organised by the Association PODGORZE.PL as part of this year’s Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC).

Following a short introduction to the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE) and the idea behind WDEC, participants were presented with a brief history of the cemetery. The walk then continued with visits to eight graves of notable individuals buried there, including scouts, painters, and soldiers.

The tour was guided by members of the Association PODGORZE.PL together with invited guests.

More information about the event is available at: https://podgorze.pl/kolejny-spacer-po-nowym-cmentarzu-podgorskim-za-nami/

Photos from the event

WDEC 2026 at the Lower Cemetery of Volintiri

On 26 May 2026, a special guided walk for local students took place at the Lower Cemetery of Volintiri (Moldova), focusing on education, memory and local history.

A guided walk for local pupils

As part of WDEC 2026, the Volintiri Municipality and the “Maria Biesu” local school organised a special guided walk for students at the Lower Cemetery of Volintiri on 26 May 2026. Bringing together education, local heritage and community memory, the activity invited pupils to explore the graves of local teachers and reflect on the lasting role of educators in shaping local identity, values and history.

At the cemetery, pupils discovered that local heritage is not only preserved in books, but also in places that keep the community’s memory alive. Guided by two local teachers—Ms Angela Tih (school director) and Mr Stepan Efremov (history teacher)—the group walked from one grave to another, focusing on the resting places of educators and school staff who shaped generations in Volintiri.

The visit was designed as a learning journey. At each stop, pupils were encouraged to listen, ask questions and reflect: What does a teacher leave behind? How do schools and families carry values forward? How does a village remember those who served it? These discussions naturally connected education with identity and civic responsibility, showing that “quality education” is also about respect, gratitude and continuity.

From remembrance to action

A key moment of the activity focused on preserving memory. We talked about the importance of maintaining teachers’ graves, especially those who no longer have relatives able to care for them, as well as renewing a local tradition of visiting these places with pupils to clean and maintain them. In this way, remembrance becomes action and offers pupils a practical lesson in community responsibility.

To extend learning beyond the cemetery visit, pupils were encouraged to continue the conversation at home by starting with a simple question: “What does the word cemetery mean?” This helped connect school learning with family dialogue, strengthening intergenerational understanding of local history and heritage.

Through this activity, the Lower Cemetery became more than a place of remembrance—it became a meaningful learning space where education meets memory, and where pupils can see how local history is preserved through people, places and shared responsibility.

Photos from the event

*Photos source: www.facebook.com/PrimariaVolintiri

Guided walk "The Piratello in the Feminine"

On 31 October and 1 November 2025, visit Piratello Cemetery in Imola, Italy, for the guided walk "The Piratello in the Feminine: Noble Benefactors, Devout Women, Partisans, and Scientists".

About the event

As part of the Urban Trekking initiative, Le Guide d’Arte, in collaboration with Area Blu S.p.A., is organising a special guided walk through the Piratello Cemetery in Imola titled "The Piratello in the Feminine: Noble Benefactors, Devout Women, Partisans, and Scientists".

This walk highlights the lives and contributions of women across different eras and social classes. Figures range from devout, family-oriented women to noblewomen such as the tragic Countess Orsola Bandini-Tozzoni and Desideria Pasolini Dall’Onda, founder of Italia Nostra. Participants will also discover women who left their mark in literature and science, including the nonconformist writer Eugenia Codronchi Argeli, known as “Sfinge,” and Giuseppina Cattani, the first woman admitted to Bologna’s prestigious Medical-Surgical Society. Furthermore, the route commemorates acts of courage, from Bianca Bizzi, whose family saved six Jewish individuals from deportation and death, to midwife Delvina Poggi, arrested and imprisoned in the Rocca fortress, as well as the partisans resting in the crypt of the PLH building.

Along the walk, visitors will have the opportunity to admire funerary monuments of particular artistic interest, many notable for their depictions of the female figure.

Location and schedule

The walk begins at the courtyard in front of the offices of Area Blu S.p.A., Via Emilia Ponente 24, 40026 Imola (BO).

Starting times:

• 31 October 2025 at 10:00 a.m.
• 1 November 2015 at 3:00 p.m.

Covering approximately 2 kilometers, the walk lasts around two hours, offering a reflective and visually rich experience.

Registration details

Registration for the event is required using this reservation form. Each participant may book up to two walks to allow broader participation in the Urban Trekking event.

For more information, visit the Sito Ufficiale del Territorio Turistico Bologna–Modena website or contact the organizers on WhatsApp at +39 347 7425404.

*Cover photo source: www.bolognawelcome.com

WDEC 2025 in Florence

The Cemetery agli Allori in Florence invites visitors to explore its historical and cultural significance through two guided tours during the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2025.

About the event

During the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2025, two special events will take place at the Cemetery agli Allori in Florence, Italy, offering a unique opportunity to explore the historical and cultural significance of this site, which serves as the final resting place for many notable international figures and is a place of memory, art, and reflection.

The first event will take place on Sunday, May 25, in collaboration with ADSI – Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane, with opening hours from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM. A guided tour will be held at 10:30 AM.

The second event is scheduled for Saturday, June 7, as part of the initiative Appointment in the Garden 2025 (Appuntamento in Giardino 2025). The cemetery will be open from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and a themed guided tour titled "Among the Stones of Memory" will begin at 10:00 AM.

Reservations and additional information

Reservations for each day are required at cimiteroevangelicoallori@gmail.com.

For more information, visit https://www.cimiteroevangelicoallori.it or https://openagenda.com/it/appuntamento-in-giardino-2025/events/tra-le-pietre-della-memoria.

*Photo source: https://www.cimiteroevangelicoallori.it/

WDEC 2025 in Lisbon

Explore the legacy of the Portuguese press and help children reflect on life and death through captivating activities at Alto de São João Cemetery during WDEC 2025.

Guided Tour: Figures from the Portuguese Press

On 24 May 2025, at 11:00 AM, a themed guided tour will take place at the Alto de São João Cemetery, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of journalist João Chagas - a prominent figure in the Portuguese press and political life of the early 20th century.

The tour will explore the lives and careers of influential journalists buried at this cemetery, tracing the evolution of the Portuguese press through their stories. Visitors will gain insight into the history behind some of the most widely read newspapers of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Diário de Notícias, O Século, and A Capital, and develop a deeper understanding of the social and political impact of the press in Portugal’s recent history.

Workshop: The skeleton responds

On 25 May 2025, at 11:00 AM, a special philosophy workshop for children will take place at the Alto de São João Cemetery. Designed for children aged 7 to 11 (accompanied by an adult), this engaging session invites participants to explore some of life’s biggest questions, starting with one of the hardest - death.

Part of a series of philosophy workshops for children, this "vital workshop on fatal matters" will take as its starting point the questions collected in previous workshops to seek answers in the cemetery. After visiting the cemetery and observing their surroundings, children and adults will be encouraged to reflect, share their thoughts, and discuss the topic together.

Led by Joana Rita Sousa, the workshop will be conducted in Portuguese and offers a thoughtful, age-appropriate introduction to philosophical inquiry.

Additional information

For any questions regarding the guided tour or the workshop, please contact cemiterios.visitas@cm-lisboa.pt.

WDEC 2024 at the Cemetery of the Observance

On June 1st, 2024, a free guided tour took place at the Cemetery of the Observance in Faenza, Italy, as part of the WDEC 2024.

About the event

On the occasion of the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2024, a free guided tour was held at the Cemetery of the Observance in Faenza, Itay, on Saturday, June 1st, 2024, at 4 PM. The tour explored and re-discovered the Observance cemetery, its history, works of art and landscape, after the floods which affected Faenza and the Romagna territory in May 2023.

The event was organised by the Municipality of Faenza in collaboration with Pro loco Faenza APS.

WDEC 2024 at the Verano Monumental Cemetery

Welcome to Rome! Experience the beauty of nature, art, history, and culture at the Verano Monumental Cemetery from May 25 to June 2, 2024.

About the Verano Monumental Cemetery

The Verano Cemetery is a place that, in addition to preserving the memory and the historical, artistic, and cultural heritage of the community, offers unique naturalistic, biodiversity, and landscape riches. The ever-increasing number of passionate visitors to Verano confirms the consideration enjoyed by this open-air park-museum, where you can walk immersed in nature and art, take a bike ride, move slowly in silence and contemplation, and discover surprising stories. It is not just a place of burial and memory, but a refuge and comfort zone offering environmental, physical, and spiritual well-being for communities, citizens, and tourists.

WDEC program: "Strolls through Memories", recitations and special events

Experience 12 free cultural events at Verano, spread over four days, each offering different thematic paths. Every day, the schedule features three events, some of which are enhanced by a unique blend of storytelling, acting, listening to musical pieces on headphones, and engaging with the voices of characters encountered along the routes.

► Saturday, 25 May

10.00: The City of Verano. Three generations of architects and urban planners
11.00: Inaugural event. Voices in the Wind. An audio guide for the Verano
12.00: Italian Theater, from stage to TV. Conducted and performed by actress Sabina Barzilai

► Sunday, 26 May

10.00: Rome and the stories on Cinema
11.00: The Seven Arts at Verano
12.00: Faces and Memories of Rome

► Saturday, 1 June

10.00: Urban trekking. Nature, history and landscape at the Verano Monumental Cemetery
11.00: Audacious Women. Stories of unique women from the Roman Republic to the Italian Republic
12.00: Italian Theater, from stage to TV. Conducted and performed by actress Sabina Barzilai

► Sunday, 2 June

10.00: Twentieth century. The passions of women and men of the "short century"
11.00: Audacious Women. Stories of unique women from the Roman Republic to the Italian Republic
12.00: Urban trekking. Nature, history and landscape at the Verano Monumental Cemetery

About the inaugural event "Voices in the wind" (25 May)

It is a PCTO project (paths for transversal skills and orientation) of the students of the Istituto Superiore Statale Cine Tv Rossellini, managed by the Io Sono Aps Association, winner of the Public Notice promoted by Roma Capitale in collaboration with Zètema Progetto Cultura and AMA Capitoline Cemeteries.

The audio guide, created by the students of the Rossellini Institute and based on texts and historical research by Alessandra Evangelisti, Federica Chiusole, and Cristina Cassese, is an exciting multi-voiced story that will accompany visitors in discovering parts of Verano. The audio guide will be permanently available to the public free of charge. Visitors can use it on their smartphones with an active internet connection and earphones by scanning the QR code located at the Verano Cemetery entrance.

About the Urban trekking event (1-2 June)

The Verano as a landscape asset is a synthesis of nature, history, and architecture. Enjoy an evocative walk through the greenery, encountering the most important and centuries-old botanical species, guided by a technician from the Environmental Protection Department of Rome Capital and an art historian.

About the Audacious Women event (1-2 June)

Italian Republic Day is celebrated in memory of outstanding women whose lives were defined by radical and emancipatory choices, transcending conventions and proposing new models of female identity. These women were unique for their heroism, civil and social commitment, and cultural legacy. The guided tour is enriched by readings recited by the actress Sabina Barzilai and music played through headphones.

Additional information

• “Strolls through Memories" are guided tours that take place on foot and last 2 hours.
• They are conducted by specialized guides and are audio-assisted using microphones and earphones.
• All scheduled initiatives are free of charge with reservations required.
• For information, insights and reservations click HERE.

Discover more

• Find out more in the Verano cultural visits web app - itinerary maps and brochures, biographical insights and photo gallery.
• Follow us on the AMA. Culture at Verano YouTube channel.
• Visit Verano with the APP ARTOUR. 

WDEC 2024 at the Piratello Cemetery

On Saturday, June 1st, 2024, a guided tour will take place at the Piratello Cemetery in Imola, Italy, exploring the theme of women and botany.

About the event

On the occasion of the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, a free guided tour will be held at the Piratello Monumental Cemetery on Saturday, June 1st, 2024, at 10 AM and 3:30 PM.

The tour will explore the theme of women and botany in history and art, both in Imola and beyond. This journey through remembrance will uncover the stories of female figures and botanical elements planted and depicted within the Piratello Monumental Cemetery.

Reservations are required by Friday, May 31st, at 12:00 PM. Please call 0542 602609 or email musei@comune.imola.bo.it to reserve a spot. Each tour accommodates a maximum of 25 people.

Meeting point: In front of the Piratello Monumental Cemetery office building, via Emilia Ponente 19A.

The event is organized by Area Blu, the Municipality of Imola, the Museums Sector, the Metropolitan City of Bologna, and the Emilia-Romagna Region.

WDEC 2024 at the New Cemetery of Podgorze

Join us on the guided tour "In the footsteps of famous people", taking place on 28 May 2024, at the New Cemetery of Podgorze in Krakow, Poland.

About the event

This year, the Association PODGORZE.PL invites you to a free guided walk around New Cemetery of Podgorze in Krakow. 

The event on the topic "In the footsteps of famous people" will take place on Tuesday, 28 May 2024, at 18.00, starting at the main gate of the cemetery (Wapienna Street).

During the tour you will visit the graves of well-known people buried at this cemetery (actors, musicians, entrepreneurs and priests) and hear their stories. Our guides will be members and friends of Association PODGORZE.PL. 

More on https://www.facebook.com/events/1412933576028502/.

WDEC 2024 at Merelbeke's cemeteries

Explore four of the six cemeteries located in the municipality of Merelbeke near Ghent, Belgium, as part of this year's WDEC.

Guided tours at Merelbeke's cemeteries

It is gradually becoming a tradition in Merelbeke to participate in the international Week of Discovering European Cemeteries. This year you can go to four of the six cemeteries in Merelbeke for free guided tours. These will not be boring guides about grave styles and makers. Merelbeke's passionate guides will lead you past the graves of well-known and lesser-known Merelbeke residents. You will learn about the merits of these people for the community and unravel the funerary symbols on their tombstones.

Saturday, 25 May 2024

• 10:30 am – Bottelare cemetery (guide An Hernalsteen)
• 2:30 pm – Munte cemetery (guide Bernadette Van Damme)

Sunday, 26 May 2024

• 10:30 am – Bottelare cemetery (guide An Hernalsteen)
• 2:30 pm – Schelderode cemetery (guide Georges de Meester)

Sunday, 2 June 2024

• 10:30 am – Munte cemetery (guide Bernadette Van Damme)
• 2:30 pm – Merelbeke cemetery center (guide Georges de Meester)

Meeting always at the entrance of the cemetery.

Additional information and reservations

Guided tours are free of charge, but advance reservations are required. The groups are limited to 20 people so book your spot quickly at erfgoed@merelbeke.be or 0474 85 56 14.

More information about the guided tours available HERE.

*Photo source: www.merelbeke.be

WDEC 2024 at Lisbon's Cemeteries

In May 2024, you can take part in three guided tours at Prazeres Cemetery in Lisbon, Portugal.

Guided tours at Prazeres Cemetery

In May and June, jacaranda trees paint the city of Lisbon in shades of purple. In the city's cemeteries, the jacaranda trees cover the mausoleums and graves with their purple flowers, creating a magical atmosphere.

In this first year of participation in the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, the Lisbon City Council proposes a series of visits that culminate in a weekend dedicated to jacarandas and their history.

• Saturday, 11 May 2024, at 11:00 am - Poets and Writers at Prazeres Cemetery (free guided tour);
• Saturday, 18 May 2024, at 10:30 am - Funeral Architecture at Prazeres Cemetery (free guided tour);
• Saturday, 25 May 2024, at 11:00 am - Jacaranda Weekend at Prazeres Cemetery (free guided tour).

We invite everyone to visit and discover Lisbon's cemeteries in this special week.

For guided tours in English, please contact cemiterios.visitas@cm-lisboa.pt.

Events at Kensal Green Cemetery 2023

This September, the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery are excited to invite you to two events that will take place at the Kensal Green Cemetery in London, United Kingdom.

Victorian Death and Mourning

Tuesday, 5th September 2023, at 19.30

At no other period in British history were there such excesses in funerary pomp at all levels of society as during the nineteenth century. This talk will examine Victorian attitudes to death and consider the associated paraphernalia, including the hearses, mourning dresses and keepsakes.

Robert Stephenson is a tour leader at three Victorian cemeteries and the chairman of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends.

The event will take place at the Dissenter's Chapel of Kensal Green Cemetery, 391 Ladbroke Grove, W10 5AB. Please arrive by the entrance from Ladbroke Grove, which will be open specially for this event.

Doors open at 18.45 pm for refreshments and wine.

This event was to take place at Brompton Cemetery, but the venue was changed to Kensal Green Cemetery.

More information and to book: https://kensalgreen.co.uk/events.php

Napoleonic Stories at Kensal Green Cemetery

Saturday, 23rd September 2023, from 10.30 to 16.00

Guided Walk – Interactive talk and costumed presentation - Refreshments

Kensal Green Cemetery is the last resting place of probably more participants in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars than any other civilian location. Over two hundred members of the army and navy of the time are there, as well as a number of civilian witnesses. We propose an event that would remember them and the turbulent times they lived through.

The event will also cover the social history and culture of the period, including entertainment and the roles of women and families.

A buffet lunch is included.

More information and to book: https://kensalgreen.co.uk/events.php

Please note: where applicable the member discount code is: FoKGC2023
Please enter the code at checkout.

Highlights from the WDEC 2023 in Krakow

Take a look at some photos from the guided walk that took place on 31 May 2023 at the New Cemetery of Podgorze.

In footsteps of famous people

Nearly fifty people took part in the guided walk "In footsteps of famous people" at the New Cemetery of Podgorze in Krakow during this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries. We have visted twelve graves and listen to amazing stories of people buried there.

Guides were members and friends of Association PODGORZE.PL, organisers of the walk.

More about the event at https://podgorze.pl/odkrywalismy-kolejne-tajemnice-nowego-cmentarza-podgorskiego/

Event photos

WDEC 2023 at the Flaybrick Memorial Gardens

A woodland walk for health and wellbeing.

About the event

On Saturday, 27 May 2023, the first of the health and wellbeing walks will take place at the Flaybrick Memorial Gardens in Birkenhead, United Kingdom, attended by the early onset dementia sufferers.

In the Flaybrick Memorial Gardens there are over 650 trees and a woodland walk provides well known health benefits of proximity to trees to the visitors.

WDEC 2023 at the New Cemetery of Podgorze

Join us on the guided tour "In footsteps of famous people", taking place on 31 May 2023, at the New Cemetery of Podgorze in Krakow.

About the event

As part of this year’s Week of Discovering European Cemeteries, the Association PODGORZE.PL invites you to a free guided walk around the New Cemetery of Podgorze in Krakow, Poland.

The event on the topic "In footsteps of famous people" will take place on 31 May 2023, at 18.00, starting at the main gate of the cemetery (Wapienna Street).

Following the success of last year's walk we would like to invite you again to the New Cemetery of Podgorze and explore the second part of it. We will visit the graves and hear the stories of well-known people buried at this cemetery: actors, entrepreneurs and singers.

Our guides will be members and friends of Association PODGORZE.PL.

More on https://www.facebook.com/events/152980611049452

WDEC 2023 at the Southampton Old Cemetery

Check out the themed walks that will take place at the cemetery during the WDEC 2023 and afterwards.

Six Coronations, an Abdication, and some other Royal Connections

Sunday, 21st May 2023, at 2:00 pm

To celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, this walk looks at some Coronations from times past, the Abdication of King Edward VIII and some Royal visits to the Town.

You swallowed what?

Sunday, 11th June 2023, at 2:00 pm

On this walk we will hear the stories of the men, women and children who swallowed a variety of things and unfortunately did not live to tell the tale. Some of those things that were swallowed, which should not have been swallowed, turned out to become fatal. Unfortunately, others, who swallowed things for a variety of reasons did suffer in agony and some swallowed things by accident and these outcomes were disastrous. Please note this is not for the faint hearted.

People of Tudor House

Sunday, 16th July 2023, at 2:00 pm

This very well-known building in Southampton was saved, and restored, thanks to William Francis Gummer Spranger and was the town’s first museum, opening in 1912. Buried in the Southampton Old Cemetery are people who lived, or worked, there or who had other connections to the story of Tudor House. Come and find out about them!

"Death in a Victorian house"

Saturday, 9th September 2023, at 2:00 pm

On this walk we will hear the stories of the men, women and children who died in strange and awful circumstances in their own homes. Their houses held a multitude of hidden perils most in plain sight, the bedrooms, the kitchens, the scullery, the living room and outhouse all these places became dangerous. Some of these events were simple accidents, others were intentional, and some even wilful.

More about the themed walks

All walks last approximately 90 minutes.

These walks are free, nevertheless a donation is both recommended and very much welcome.

Booking is advisable for all the walks to avoid disappointment, numbers are now limited.

Additional information and booking at www.fosoc.org

Philosophical walk "Say you to the divine"

On 24 May 2023, a philosophical walk entitled "Say you to the divine" will take place at the Piratello Cemetery in Imola, Italy.

About the event

The event "Say you to the divine - philosophical walk" will take place on Wednesday, 25 May 2023, from 6.30 pm to 8.00 pm, starting at the parking area of the Monumental cemetery of Piratello next to the via Emilia.

We will take silent and aware steps in a wonderful “waiting place”, to learn to grasp faces in the light of the Face, and in the voices the vibrating of the Voice.

The walk will be guided by Giorgio Sgubbi (philosopher and theologian) and Gianmaria Beccari (teacher of philosophy and Feldenkrais®method).

Reservations required

The places are limited and therefore reservations are required at the email passeggiate.filosofiche@gmail.com or by phone 349 0774117.

Entry is free with voluntary contributions.

The initiative will also take place in case of rain, at the church of the sanctuary of the Beata Vergine del Piratello.

Guided tour "Among the big trees of Piratello"

On 6 May 2023, a guided tour will take place at the Piratello Cemetery in Italy, dedicated to Imola’s notable personalities who took care of the environment.

About the guided tour

The guided tour will take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at 2.30 pm, starting at the entrance of the Monumental cemetery of Piratello by the office building (Emilia ponenete 24, Imola).

Guided tour "Among the big trees of Piratello - the personalities who took care of the environment" follows the architectural development of the cemetery from the opening to the latest creations with the identification of the notable essences still present and the burials of personalities who for various aspects (legislative, geological, social) have dealt with development of the environment.

Even deep changes to the natural environment of the place often happen with significant human interventions, but then the built elements and the vegetation together created a new environment.

We will retrace the evolutionary history of the Piratello cemetery both in the monumental part and in the more recent part. Along the way, the botanical aspect will be highlighted together with the architectural one. The development of the tour includes visits to the burials of notable characters who have contributed to the development of today’s concept of environment. Some examples: Scarabelli, Pasolini dall’Onda, Codronchi, Marabini Andrea, Azzi.

The tour will be guided by Daniela Martelli and Marco Pelliconi.

Reservations required

The places for the guided tour are limited to a maximum of 25 people.
Information and reservations at the email attivita.culturali@comune.imola.bo.it or by phone 0542 602300.

The event is organized by ANPI Imola and CIDRA.

Restoration of Maciachini’s family tomb

On April 2, 2023, the official unveiling of the restored Maciachini’s family tomb will take place at the Milan Monumental Cemetery in Italy.

Carlo Maciachini (1818 - 1899)

The architect Carlo Maciachini was born on April 2, 1818, in Induno Olona and died on June 10, 1899, in Varese. He studied Architecture and Ornamentation at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. 

His first major work as an architect was the construction of the Serbian-Orthodox Church of San Spiridione in Trieste. Then, in 1863, the international competition launched for building a bigger cemetery in Milan chose his proposal for the design of the new Milan Monumental Cemetery.

Maciachini is universally acclaimed by historians and academics as his eclectic style is a prelude of modern architecture, even if it does not miss tradition.

Restoration of Maciachini’s family tomb

Maciachini’s family tomb is located between two arches in Section A-B of the West Lower Gallery at the Milan Monumental Cemetery and is fully neglected. The association Amici del Monumentale di Milano was established in 2013 with the purpose of safeguarding, perpetuating, enhancing, and promoting the history, art, and cultural heritage of this important cemetery. Considering the great symbolic, historic, and artistic importance of this tomb, the association decided to finance and promote its restoration.

The restoration project has the patronage of the Municipality of Milan, Induno Olona, the Chamber of Architects, City Planners, Landscape-Architects and Curators of the Province of Milan. Pending is the patronage of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.

During the restoration works, students of the art schools of Milan and province as well as members of the Italian Agency for the Deaf will have a chance to listen to the restorers explaining the various stages of their work, materials and techniques employed.

Amici del Monumentale is also a member of ASCE and FIDAM (Italian Federation of the Friends of Museum). The association has already financed three remarkable restorations: Ave Maria by Giulio Branca, Ecce Puer by Medardo Rosso and The Guardian Angel by Luigi Buzzi Giberto.

Unveiling of the restored tomb (program)

The official unveiling of Maciachini’s restored tomb will take place on April 2, 2023, on Maciachini's 205th birth anniversary, at the Milan Monumental Cemetery.

Conference

At 9.30 am, there will be a conference on the topic "Maciachini, an eclectic positivist", with the participation of prestigious speakers Ornella Selvafolta (architectureal historian) and Sergio Rebora (art historian and history and art curator of the Monumentale). The two restorers, Matteo Pelucchi and Maria Facchinetti, will also participate and will report about the restoration process, respectively for the stone elements and metal parts.

All visitors will receive a brochure "Account of a restoration work" illustrating the various restoration stages.

Musical interlude

At 10.30 am, there will be a musical interlude with "La Banda d'Affori".

Unveiling ceremony

At 11.00 am, the unveiling ceremony will take place, attended by the Councillor Gaia Romani and Marco Cavallin, mayor of Induno Olona, Maciachini's birthplace. A guided walk to the chapels and monuments executed by Maciachini will take place soon after the ceremony.

You can find the official invitation (in Italian) HERE.