Readers will be familiar with my frequent visits to cemeteries in each destination that I visit. Being in Sicily for the second time, I was looking for an older one this time. What I found truly astonished me and I think it will you too. Come with me to explore beautiful Marsala Cemetery & the secret below!
Getting There
Surprisingly, the municipal cemetery is located inside the city. There is no bus ride involved, simply walk to an area near the train tracks and Old Town and you will find it. I’ll provide a google link here.
Old Mausoleums
As I approach, I notice a funeral about to begin, so instead of entering through the main entrance, I have found a side gate. As soon as I go through, I begin to see the massive family mausoleums. Locating the oldest of these, I am in amazement at the numerous styles of architecture. There are two that I locate that definitely have Egyptian motifs and aesthetics. Most also have an underground vault.
There are a few that are so old, the doors have opened and no one has taken care to keep them tidy. I take the opportunity to look inside and see what is there. Some of the coffins have broken open, others are filled with pigeon droppings. I see steps that go down into the darkness below, to a cavity filled with yet more coffins. Eerie in the total darkness and quiet.
New Mausoleums
Once I think I have seen most of the oldest of these above ground mausoleums, I begin to walk away. What I discover next is row upon row, lined on both sides, of newer ones. I cannot believe there are this many, there has to be hundreds of them here, of all shapes, sizes and styles.
From art deco to others that look like caves. From 1970’s to concrete brutalist architecture and everything in-between. As I walk the roads, I’m completely lost, turned around and realize this might be the largest cemetery I have ever seen.
Community Mausoleums
Never have I ever seen buildings this large, absolutely filled chocker with individual crypts. Some of these structures are two stories tall. Others have a subbasement full, then ground floor and even an upper floor.
Many are connected by staircases, some enclosed, others open to the elements. I really have no words to convey to you the reader, just how many souls are buried here. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and I have visited many many cemeteries.
Purgatorio
Some of the oldest community mausoleums are in a state of deterioration that is dire. One building in particular, called ‘Purgatorio’ contains some of these. It’s an eerie building, decrepit and abandoned looking. I enter and see the faces of the crypts have fallen to the ground in piles amongst the dirt and garbage.
What Stands Out?
Besides what I have already expressed, something that I notice are the rows and rows of old crypts dated earlier than 1950’s. There has to be thousands of these individual tiny spaces. These are in such a sad state of affairs. I can see inside the open cavities and find the lead boxes right there, containing the remains.
Other features are the abundance of fresh flowers. It is refreshing to see that they can be used here, for many cemeteries I find have resorted to artificial only or even none at all.
Almost every grave has a photo. I have seen this in other countries but not to this extent. I pause to admire the old ones, black and white, faces that are expressionless. Some wearing a military uniform, others, children in dresses with lace collars.
Finally….the Secret!
Another cemetery, or rather a set of caves full of ancient burials! To visit this archaeological site, one must contact the ticket office at the Marsala Archaeological Museum and be given a phone number to call. Once you have made contact, you can set up a time to enter this hidden space and explore the caves and all they contain.
This site is called Latomia dei Niccolini and was an ancient Roman quarry during the 2nd & 3rd centuries AD. What was being extracted were large blocks of tuff used as the building blocks of the ancient city of Lilybaeum.
By the end of the 3rd century, the caves that had been credited by this extraction, were now being used as a cemetery by various religions.
What is astonishing, is that these caves, some traversing deep underground, are actually inside and under the current day cemetery! One can see the large family mausoleums in the municipal cemetery, constructed right on top of these caves.
The Burials
The area has not been fully excavated, but in 1996, several individual sites were located. Two of these were dug into the stone wall and took the form of a Greek cross. Directly in front of these are seventeen sarcophagi, carved out of the same limestone and covered with a white plaster.
The most important of the burials found to date is one that contains a mosaic floor. Surrounding it are four graves and intact frescoes. The largest painting is in front of the mosaic, and depicts a temple. What is curious are the domes on the roof of the temple. I am told by my guide that there were no buildings such as these at this time in Sicily. Instead, it is thought this might represent a Turkish structure.
Caves
Exiting this area now and heading to the left, we go down into a series of caves. I am not allowed to walk into these deeper spaces for they are not safe. The damp here is palpable and the moss-covered roof is dripping wet.
On one side I see another grave site with a very faint remnant of yellow ochre paint above the grave. Beside this and to the right, I peer into a deep recess that seems to go on forever. Here I spot a pile of bones on the sandy ground.
To my right again, is a door carved into the stone and black inside. If I turn around now, I see more sarcophagi build right into the walls of the cave. What an incredible feeling, standing under this ledge of stone, knowing there are mausoleums of the current day cemetery right above my head!
If you can only visit the Municipal Cemetery on your trip to Marsala, do it. The architecture, religious art, solitude and magnitude of this place is worth every minute. If you have the time and inclination, give the ancient burial site a go as well. While not the best one in the city, it is definitely an interesting site, especially positioned as it is, tucked into and under the modern day cemetery. The contact phone number I was given at the time of writing is 351 48 49420.
