Friday we had the chance to walk the famous cemetery known as Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno. This cemetery was a great experience and really allowed me to get to know Milan in a way that most Milanese get to know and incorporate into their life. Religion is a large part of the culture of the Italian people and is primarily Catholic. This inspires the idea that death isn’t just an ending for the Italian people, but a new beginning with God. For this reason, the burial grounds of the deceased are built in an extravegant way to commemorate their ascent into heaven. As I walked through the grounds it was clear that there was much sadness and grief from those still living, but a type of happiness that they are with God. This was shown with sculptures and huge buildings to commemorate their passing. One amazing part of watching the graves as I was passing is seeing how brightly the flowers still bloomed in this famous cemetery and how those ancestors that are still present never forget those long past. Also seeing how well kept and organized each of the graves were and how intricate the sculptures were made me wish that I was loved in the same way as these individuals and remembered like they were. To have that kind of impact on the earth would be a great blessing.
After seeing these amazing graves I felt inspired to go to Florence for the day and see the grave of Galileo Galilei. I had heard great things about how intricate his grave was and others like it inside the Basilica. I wanted to see firsthand how this famous individual’s grave was and how he was remembered after his death even though the church didn’t entirely believe him until recently. However, once stepping inside the basilica I was blown away by the intricate tombs, but even more blown away by how on the ground were tombs themselves. Everywhere there was marble and letters of those that were placed and constantly remembered. There were even areas that had been blocked off with rope in order to preserve certain graves. These had intricate carvings into the marble in the ground and had clear lettering on each grave. It was a beautiful site and even the amazing grave of Galileo was something that took my breath away. It was set in marble and matched with two amazing statues that clearly showed how scholarly and amazing he was as an individual in his life. I loved the gold add-ons and loved how he was clearly shown as he used to look. It was a great experience and one I will highly recommend to everyone I meet in the future when going to Florence.