Dante's
Cenotaph
This may be the grandest grave that never hosted
an occupant; Dante is actually entombed in Ravenna.
Machiavelli
(1469-1527)
The prophetic political philosopher was born in
Florence. "The fact is that a man who wants to act
virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among
so many who are not virtuous."
|
 |
I've
heard Santa Croce referred to as "a cemetery masquerading
as a church." It didn't seem that farfetched,
with tombs lining the walls, and even the floors paved with
graves, so dense it wasn't possible to navigate without
stepping on somebody.
Artists, scientists, writers, the names
here are impressive: Michelangelo, Ghiberti, Rossini,
Galileo, Fermi, Marconi, Dante, Machiavelli; all are either
buried or memorialized here.
A
Knight on the Floor
It was all too easy to picture the corpse laid out
below the marble floor.
Unknown
Italian
Many of the graves in the floor have been smoothed
by centuries of passing feet, obliterating facial feature
and inscriptions.
Next:
The Sad Women of Santa Croce |
