The Cimitero Monumentale’s size is 250.000 m² (2.690.980 ft²), it’s like a small city inside Milan that remembers many eminent personalities, exponents of Milan’s cultural avantgardes. The cemetery was designed by architect Carlo Maciachini and inaugurated in 1886; it’s a great model for funerary architecture and one of the most important examples of the Italian eclecticism. It’s divided into two sections, one for the Catholics, west of the entrance, and one for the Jewish, east of the entrance.

Beside the paths of the cemetery there are noteworthy architectures, for instance by architects Carlo Maciachini, Luca Beltrami and Gaetano Moretti, a lot of statues, eminent families’ tombs, such as Campari, Besenzanica, Palanti, Toscanini and Motta. The Famedio (also known as Pantheon of the eminent) is located 5 m (16 ft) above the ground level and it was built to host the tombs of the most representative and eminent inhabitants of Milan.

The Famedio is organized into three categories: the “illustrious” (because of artistic, scientific and literary merits), the “meritorious” (those who acted to the benefit of the city) and “those who excelled during the Italian history” (those who contributed to Italy’s development). Alessandro Manzoni’s sarcophagus is noteworthy, it was erected in 1958 on a base and decorated with wonderful bronze reliefs, by Giannino Castiglioni.