San Michele (Venice)

Italy / Veneto / Venice
 island, cemetery
In a spirit of morbid pragmatism, perhaps, the cemetery island lies directly opposite the city hospital. It was established in 1807, and bodies were first transported on elaborately decorated gondolas. Later, motorboats were fitted out as floating hearses - but the grave space has been used up and Venice's dead now get shunted to the mainland cemetery. The white stone Renaissance church of San Michele, designed by Mauro Codussi, dominates an island fringed with honey-coloured walls and shaded by cypress trees. Pack a picnic, seek out the graves of Stravinsky, Diaghilev and Ezra Pound, and enjoy the peace.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isola_di_San_Michele
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   45°26'48"N   12°20'49"E
  •  20 km
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