The Protestant Cemetery

The Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome

I have been making a list of things to do in Rome on a budget. This was first on my list. I had read about it on other blogs back in December and have been wanting to go ever since. Today, I made it a priority and set off with my camera.

Easy to reach, you can get there by taking Metro line B towards the Laurentina stop and hop off at Piramide or take the train to Ostiense. The cemetery is appropriately located behind a large pyramid, which was constructed 18-12 BC as a tomb for Caius Cestius. There's no cost or fee to enter, but they do accept donations.

The cemetery is known for being one of the oldest burial grounds still in use in Europe as well as being the final resting place for some of the most well known poets, artists, sculptors and scholars in the world including John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

I had the place all to myself today and was overwhelmed by the beauty and tranquility of the scene. The ornately decorated graves and sculpted tombs are shaded by towering cypresses and surrounded by beautiful flowers and shrubs. If it weren't so breathtakingly beautiful, I might have been a bit spooked. Truth be told, I did get a bit shaken up when a black cat crossed my path, immediately followed by a crow's loud caw directly overhead. I'm not superstitious by nature, but still, that can't be a good thing.

For more information, you can visit www.protestantcemetery.it

To view all of the photos, click here.