Cemeteries in Italia


(the Asiago cemetery)

I found the following information on a Chicago area Italian web site. It was written by Daniel E. Niemiec.

What to expect

  • Recent burials (10-15 years) are in the ground in chronological order, not with family

  • Older burials (60-70 years) are in small outdoor crypts (moved from ground)

  • Spouses are not always entombed together, and are buried with maiden name

  • Some family mausoleums like in American big city cemeteries

  • Lots of photos on the crypts, frequently blocked by flowers!

  • Some older crypts are faded – you can’t read the carving

  • Cemetery staff not happy about American tourists with cameras – be discreet

What not to expect

  • No you won’t find the ancient gravestone of your 15th century ancestor!

  • You may not find anything older than World War I

  • Most crypts just have the years, not the complete dates

  • It is not the garden-style, multi-acre cemetery we are used to in America

  • There may not be a map showing the cemetery layout

  • The staff speaks Italian and does not speak English

  • You can’t stay into the afternoon – lunch time means you have to go

Information you can find

  • Death dates and years much later than the civil records

  • Photos of relatives your auntie doesn’t have

  • You can learn which relatives went back to Italy and died there

My personal experience

  • The staff gave me lots of grief about the camera.

  • My Italian relatives convinced the staff that I only wanted 3 or 4 ancestors

  • I took pictures of entire walls of crypts at the largest picture setting

  • When I could take an entire wall, I put the camera in “Movie” mode and walked

  • In Triggiano, all crypts had dates and most had photos

  • In Carbonara, crypts only said “Famiglia Abbinante” and no names or dates!

 

 Last updated 01/08/14 - (c)2007 - Barth Cunico - All rights reserved