campo santo
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
campo santo: Literally “Holy Ground” or “Sacred Field”, it is used as a term for a cemetery in Sicily or southern Italy. In Sicily, cemeteries have traditionally been so elaborate that they were often compared to actual cities. These cemeteries consist of a collection of mortuary chapels, usually Classical or Gothic in style. Each chapel has an open vault below for family tombs. These are sometimes glass coffins which allow the body to be viewed. Such chapels are expensive and are built to great heights. This gives some cemeteries the look of walled, medieval cities. Among the customs that upset foreign travelers in the past about these cemeteries is the inserting of large photographs of the dead person into the headstones. Some Italian-American families still follow this practice in the United States. Other visitors have described the cemeteries as places of serenity and beauty, enjoying the traditional cypress trees and carpet of wildflowers usually found in such places.