The cemetery of Spoleto: a peaceful place

by Silvia Matricardi

Umbria is a region of peace. It is not a place of silence, but a land where the sounds of nature are loud and soft at the same time and we really enjoy listening to them.

One of the most peaceful places I know, one that I really love, is the cemetery of Spoleto.

It must be the architectural structure that makes it so charming, with its surrounding walls, the many paths that climb up the hill, with their rows of cypresses and bushes and wild roses, and also the great view of the city center.

Or, very likely, my love for this place comes from the fact that I have been coming here since a was a child, with my Mum and Dad, to visit the people I love who are no longer with us. I was never scared when I came here; on the contrary, it seemed to me as if I were entering a fairy land, full of small churches, ancient tombs, narrow paths, flowers, old pictures that tell stories of past lives, silence. I often used to sing while walking there with my parents...

I know Umbria is full of old cemeteries but I am sure none of them is like this one.

It is placed right besides the city center and yet in a secluded spot, amongst fields of olive trees, from where you can enjoy a great view of the Rocca and of the sweet hills that surround the town. It goes uphill, gently, creating different terraces of tombs which are always well kept and full of flowers and "lumini" (small lights).

On top you can find the beautiful San Salvatore Basilica, the most ancient church in Spoleto, dating back to the 4th - 5th century, with a nave and two side aisles and a semicircular apse, which still retains its early Christian atmosphere and charm.

Though a cemetery is not the first place you think of visiting when you go to a town, this one might be worth peeping in, just to get a glimpse and to taste an old-times atmosphere.

Last time I went to the cemetery it was four days ago, before All Souls' Day (Il Giorno dei Morti), in a warm sunny day, at lunch break; there were a few people working on their family tombs, preparing them for the celebration of their beloved departed. Every path, narrow street and place was neat and colourful and I could really enjoy a special moment of meditation and prayer, and love for the mankind.

Being close to the people you lost and you still love makes you feel the strength of your roots, the indissoluble bonds in your life and the joy and warmth that accompany life's promises and plans for the future.