Cimiteri Comunali

A truly unique spot in Florence. Rows and rows of mausoleums, some so amazingly elaborate they look like houses in a city for the now gone. If you come up to San Miniato you must take a walk around this beautiful and peaceful place.
The cemetery was first opened in 1848 and 20 years later it was expanded to include the entire area of the fortress built in the 1500’s. It has several entrances, and I highly suggest you walk around the outside of the fortress if you want to be rewarded with the lush greenery and tall trees that surround this historical place.
Near the the main entrance of the cemetery (to the left part of the San Miniato basilica) you can see the campanile (the tall tower with the bell). During the siege of Florence in 1530 it was used as an artillery tower. Michelangelo was in charge of the defensive plan for this area. He ordered the tower be covered with mattresses, and it worked!
Carlo Collodi (the author of Pinocchio) and many other important Italian figures of the last century are buried here.