The non-Catholic cemetery
This Protestant Cemetery, more precisely a non-Catholic cemetery of Rome, as Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all buried here, It is a beautiful and serene place hidden behind the pyramid of Caius Cestius, in the Roman district of Testaccio.
"It might make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place," wrote Shelley, not long before he drowned and was buried here.
Because Rome has always attracted visitors from all over the world, and many of them have been artists and scholars searching for the signs of Roman history, this cemetery is the final resting-place of the poets Shelley and Keats, of many painters, sculptors and authors, a number of scholars, several diplomats, Goethe's only son, and Antonio Gramsci, a founding father of European Communism, to name only a few.
You can know more about its Notable Graves here.
There are four thousand graves inside, closely packed together, english and German graves are the most numerous, but there are also the graves of many Americans, Russians, Greeks and several other nationalities. The cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds in continuous use in Europe (the earliest burial dates back to 1738, a visiting student from Oxford) and is packed with history and beautiful monuments.
The most famous inhabitant of this cemetery is probably John Keats, who died in 1821 aged just 25, and whose grave can be found to the left in the older part of the cemetery. The famous inscription ‘here lies one whose name was writ on water’ was placed there at the poet’s request by his friend Joseph Severn, the one-time British Consul in Rome.
The other famous romantic poet to rest here is of course Shelley. His ashes were brought to the cemetery in 1822 after he drowned at sea and was cremated on the beach at Viareggio. Shelley’s young son is also buried here.
Other famous people buried here include Goethe’s son Julius Augustus, John Addington Symonds, the Russian painter Karl Briullov and the famous Italian communist thinker Antonio Gramsci, who died in 1937.
The non-catholic cemetery is also famous for the artistic value of its graves and adorned with shady trees it is home to one of Rome's famous semi-feral cat colonies, tended by volunteers.
Throughout the 19th century and into the 20th, the little Cemetery was something of a pilgrimage site, revered by authors. Daisy Miller, the heroine of Henry James's eponymous novella, was buried there. After an audience with Pope Pius IX in 1877, Oscar Wilde visited the Cemetery, proclaiming it "the holiest place in Rome." The Cemetery is a private one but is operated in accordance with national and municipal regulations concerning cemeteries and historic sites. A board of foreign ambassadors resident in Rome is ultimately responsible for its operations.
People are still buried in it today. and to qualify, the deceased must be a non-Catholic citizen of a select group of countries, and 'effectively resident' in Italy at the time of death.
Other than income derived from burial and tomb maintenance fees, this cemetery is dependent on donations, fundraising and volunteers to keep the Cemetery the quiet and beautiful place that it is.
This marvellous place can be visited daily for free and the Visitors' Centre is a source of information and publications. Donations to the cemetery are always welcome.
It can be reached easily from Piramide metro station (linea B), or by bus number 30 which runs from the center..
and it is opened Monday-Saturday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (last entrance:4.30 pm) Sundays and public holidays 9.00 am to 1.00 pm (last entrance:12.30 pm)
Recap: "It might make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place," wrote Shelley, not long before he drowned and was buried here.
