Hidden treasure in Milan the monumental cemetery
filming Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends, available on the My5 platform in the UK
Off the beaten tracks and the ancient borders of the city walls, there is a pearl of the city, the Monumental Cemetery, an imposing open-air museum built in the 1870s for Milan’s illustrious wealthy.
The Cemetery houses the mausoleums of prominent and industrial families who made the economy of Italy, such as the family Pirelli, known for the production of tyres, or the family Campari, the ‘Milanese aperitivo’ with a representation of The Last Supper. The Cemetery extends over an area of approximately 5,000 m2, and it is a marvellous walk through the works of art created by the most influential architects and sculptors of the 18th and 19th hundreds.
Inside the ‘Famedio’ - Hall of Fame, in the centre of the majestic entrance façade decorated with marble bands, you can read the names of the people connected to Milan - distinguished for literature, art, science or brought benefits and fame to the city or contributed to national evolution. Among them, the genius Leonardo Da Vinci, who spent 20 years in Milano, the painter Caravaggio, born in Milano in the 15 hundred’s, or in the recent history the fashion designer Gianni Versace and the opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. If you are an opera lover you should not miss the monument dedicated to the great composer Giuseppe Verdi or the conductor Arturo Toscanini.
A visit to the cemetery is a unique experience, walking and admiring how art and architecture has changed through the centuries, from the romantic 18 hundred’s, to the brutalism of the last century. It offers such a variety of works and each visitor can immerse himself in his preferred itinerary. Whether you are a football lover, an Italian movie expert, or simply willing to discover the great stories of women of the past you can find an incredible narrative here
If you wish to see and listen more, or watch the episode I had the pleasure of filming of Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends, available on the My5 platform in the UK https://www.channel5.com/
filming Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends, available on the My5 platform