APPEARANCES ARE EVERYTHING - EVEN WHEN DEAD

 

"If you want to know about the living, go and see how they bury their dead",  is quite a famous saying and true indeed. In Genoa, the old historical cemetery, Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno, is one such place. Here the Genovese merchants, industrialists, politicians and national heroes as well as those who achieved any kind of fame during their lifetime are buried at great expense. I visited Staglieno last week with a group of ladies from the American International Womens' Club. Our guide, Roberta, told us a fascinating story of how Genoa once was the most important city for industrial development in Italy, thanks to the port and many new manufacturing inventions. The many sculptures and tombs in Staglieno reveal how people lived and worked in the old days, what they believed in and how the city and its inhabitants have changed over time. But above all, how the notable families wanted to be remembered by future generations.

 

 

 

Staglieno is partly situated on a hill and quite a few of the buildings and structures can be seen when approaching the cemetery from the city centre direction.

Impressive, lifelike sculptures were commissioned by the rich and wealthy to decorate the family tombs. Men liked to include tools of their trade and women wanted to be remembered for their good works.

 

This sculpture is one of four art works selected by an American artist, who has recently been given permission by the City of Genoa to clean and restore the statues to their former glory.

It is all because of Napoleon Bonaparte that Staglieno exists in the first place: he gave an order in 1804 that everybody, rich and poor, have to be buried in church, which meant that specially designed areas had to be created. Staglieno opened in 1851 and it is still going strong. There are 60 000 graves in Staglieno and new areas are created every day. This is possible due to an interesting custom in Italy: a family can have a grave site up to 30 years, but after that time all the people buried in that particular site will be dug out and bones will be put in a smaller container and buried elsewhere. City officials administering the cemetery decide where the remains will be reburied, not the families. However, the most historical graves at Staglieno are an exception to this rule.

 

The details in these statues on this corridor are an amazing testimony what a remarkable material marble
 is in the hands of a skillful artist.

 Staglieno is divided into several sections. It is a large place, not easily explored in couple of hours. This is a place where you need to come back again and again to truly appreciate its beuty and significance. There is a Jewish cemetery and separate sections for protestants and catholics as well as for the English, who came to Genoa to make their fortune. There are also areas dedicated to war heroes and a particularly beautiful spot is reserved for children. Famous people, such as wife of Oscar Wilde, Constance, is buried here as well as the Italian national hero Giuseppe Mazzini. Also, the Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De Andre, who died in 1999, has his last resting place here.

 

Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872) was an intellectual, politician and journalist, who campaigned for the unification of Italy.

The best artists of the day (Giulio Monteverde and Leonardo Bistolfi among others) were engaged to create the most impressive art works.  Even though the historical tombs are important, Staglieno is also about architecture and beautifully preserved landscapes.




The details in some of the sculptures are astonishing: monks did not have pockets in their robes and therefore they carried handkerchiefs in the sleeves. Sure enough, a handkerchief is hidden in one of the sleeves, under the book,  in this life size portrait of a monk reading a text.

 Roberta told us how, in the 1850s when Staglieno was opened,  realism influenced the artists making the marble sculptures. At that time people were certain that there will be life after death. They wanted to reflect this by commissioning statues that would picture them exactly as they were when alive, down to the last details of dress and facial expressions, even the furniture that was used as a backdrop to the statues was often carefully re-created.  Photography was developing at the same time and notable families thought it so important to get their place of honour at Staglieno, that they were willing to pose for a long time for a photographer to snap a picture of them having the last look of a dying relative.



This family scene was re-created from a photograph.

Later, the lifelike sculptures were abandoned in order to reflect new beliefs. Life after death was not so certain anymore and in the beginning of 1900s art deco style became more dominant. There are beautiful examples of this at Staglieno.



A dance with death. This art work caused a small scandal at the time it was revealed to the general public as the dancing lady was not properly dressed...

It was not just the rich and wealthy who wanted to be buried at Staglieno. The most famous story is that of the Peanut Lady of Genoa. She sold peanuts and small snacks in street corners and saved a big part of her meagre income in order to have a tomb at Staglieno. Her story became famous in the city and she got her wish. Roberta, our guide, told us that her statue is the only one of a working woman. Generally speaking, ladies wanted to portray themselves as good wives and mothers and not as someone who had to earn their own living.

 



The Peanut Lady of Genoa.