Helsinki, Saint Petersburg, Tallinn,
Stockholm, Northern Italy

photos by G.P. Jones using Nikon D3400 digital camera,
except where noted




Itinerary for Helsinki, the Cruise, and Stockholm




Itinerary for Italy



Helsinki, 16-19 May 2018



This collection of 'vacation pictures' represents highlights, not a complete travelogue.
(You want complete? Pop for the airfare and hotels, and retrace the itinerary yourself;
you won't be sorry.)

The main purpose of the trip was to visit museums not previously seen,
and the cemeteries of Northern Italy, particularly those in Liguria - the
horseshoe of land on either side of Genova, sometimes referred to as the
Italian Riviera. My obsession with certain 'themes' in funerary sculpture -
guiding angels, sculpture seen on the Web without proper identification as
to title, location and/or sculptor, and so forth - will be noted as you read
through the captions (assuming you're not here just for the pictures).

Please enjoy.

The grave of Baron Edvard Gustaf af Forselles (1817-1891) has a rather unusual rendering of him atop this tall column. Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki.

Veikko Tyrväinen (1922-1986) was a Finnish actor. Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki.

The two monuments in the foreground are for different families (Caselius, left, and Manninen), though the position of the Manninen sculpture makes it appear that they may be connected somehow. Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki.

This building entrance is on Lapinlahdenkatu, near the corner of Malminrinne in Helsinki. I'm not going to make a specific comment here. If you don't see the reason for this photograph, just move on and fugeddaboutit.

The great Ateneum (Art Museum) in Helsinki offers this eclectic collection in the first salon at the top of the entry stairs.

The first real objective of this trip was to visit the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. If you go by ferry (in reality, a 'junior' cruise ship with restaurants, casinos, and duty-free shop) and you don't stay too long, you can visit Saint Petersburg without an expensive visa. This is the St Peter Line Princess Anastasia, waiting to depart Helsinki harbour. (NOTE: As this is basically a cruise ship, the price of less than 300€ for a 3-day cruise [not including food and drink] was a great deal.)

Saint Petersburg (State Russian Museum), 20 May 2018

In Saint Petersburg, on the way to the abovementioned museum, the shuttle stopped at St Isaac's Square, and seeing the Astoria Hotel (on the right in this picture), reminded me of something the open-top bus commentary mentioned on my trip there last year. That commentary claimed that this building was not squared off to a point at this corner, because at the time it was built (1910-1912), it was believed that evil spirits could enter a building at its sharp corners. Marvelous superstition, don't you agree?

OK, now this is hilarious. Stay with me. Here we have an elegant painting by Alexander Ivanov, and very thorough documentation for the title and other details in Russian.

Now look at the English title: "Bellerophontes tarts on his campaign against Chimera." I must say, I've never seen 'tarting' as a verb, but I suppose if one can be a tart, one can tart. You can't make this stuff up!

This is the (architectural) cheesecake capital of Saint Petersburg, the Singer Company Building (1904, also known as the House of Books).

Tallinn, 21 May 2018

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, has been Disneyfied (my own term). Apparently its main source of income, by far, is tourism from the cruise ships that have been docking here in recent years. In a lengthy walk around town, trying to avoid the beaten paths, I found only one back street with a tiny bit of graffiti. Everything else was freshly planted for Spring, and scrubbed down to the nub. Rather pointless.

On the other hand, Cuban cigars here are about half the price I've found elsewhere in the world, so Tallinn has its 'up-side'.

This record store, with it's mis-spelt sign - shouldn't that be 'Bite Me'? - provided a bit of comic relief . . .

. . . as did this restaurant chalkboard, offering 'game sausages' of Boar, Bear or Elk.
I doubt you could find most of those in Peoria.

The Goodwin restaurant served a great hamburger (in my opinion), and watching the tourist cows sitting on this bench for their selfies provided the entertainment.

As a tourist-first town, there's fierce competition for the Burger market.
This restaurant goes so far as to claim they actually use Meat.

The tourist area of any town/city is going to sell 'joke' T-Shirts.
This is a 'joke', right?

Occasionally a T-shirt design will approach brilliant satire.

Finally, a traditional building in old Tallinn. Oh, wait, this was just built and consecrated in 1900. So much for ancient history. On to Roma.

Roma, 24-28 May 2018

The so-called Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome has a long history, and is rich in monuments and famous 'residents'. This boy - Georges Volkoff (1925-1936) - wasn't famous, but his monument is intriguing. Sculptors don't make many decisions lightly, which makes one wonder just what this kid is supposed to be looking at.

The spiral illustrations around the entire height of this column tell a thousand stories from nearly two-thousand years ago. It was built in honour of a victory of Marcus Aurelius. Its Wikipedia page complains that it cannot be known whether the column was built during Marcus Aurelius's reign as emperor (176), or after his death in 190, but that a nearby inscription assures everyone that it was finished by 193. Bottom line: it's OLD.

This is what Rome looks like off the beaten path, a street extending from the Piazza Navona toward Parrochia Santa Maria in Valicella (the dome at the centre).

Another 'street scene' shows four-storey-high trees near Stazione Termini.

Remember the 'Meat Burgers' of Tallinn (see above)? Leave it to Rome to go one better.

These street-level fountains, widely seen around central Rome, hark back to a hundred or more years ago. I presume these are for dogs and horses, maybe even for thirsty people back when there weren't convenience stores selling Evian or San Pellegrino on every corner.

The Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Roma Capitale in via Francesco Crispi (not to be confused with the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, which is much larger) is small and interesting.

This 1937 sculpture by Ercole Drei (1886-1973) has what we art lovers call 'levels' of meaning. I'm not going to explain this too much, but just be aware that it's called Il seminatore (The seed-sower) as you look at the enlargement (the pun is intended!) below.

Can there be any mistake?

I have always enjoyed the wild variations of modern art.
This is, of course, L'Ultima Cena (The Last Supper, 1965), out of the mind of sculptor Mario Ceroli (born 1938).

Now, take a close look. I guess Jesus hasn't arrived yet.

The Basilica di San Silvestro in Capite claims to have a portion of the beheaded John the Baptist's head in a reliquary. (I say 'claims to', since there are several other churches around the world that also claim to have JB's head.) Here, an image of John the Baptist himself points to where one can find the chapel (and the reliquary), as long as one is not wearing a tank top.

Churches (and cemetery sculptures) with skull carvings fascinate me.
(See below for another spectacular one in another town, that one a full skeleton.)

This is the lower part of a memorial for Giuseppe Cardinal Renato Imperiali (1651-1737) in the Basilica di Sant'Agostino in Campo Marzio, Roma. It's marble, if you can believe that!

My regular readers (all three of them) may well remember my observation that angels who guide (or guard) adult men tend to be male, while those angels attending to women tend to be female. Perhaps to confuse us art enthusiasts, this seems to be a male angel pointing the way (probably to heaven) for Maria Rita Gregorj (died 1898). This dominance of male angels was typical of earlier in the XIXth century, not so typical of the turn-of-the-century and later. Campo Verano, Roma.

Each church you enter in Rome is just a bit more extravagant and amazing than the previous one. This is (a small part of) the interior of the Basilica San Carlo in Corso.

This plaque in San Carlo in Corso, like many Latin inscriptions, can be read two ways. My reading of it is, "How terrible is this place" (which, of course, would be the joke, since it's beyond magnificent). Google Translate™ renders it, "How full of awe [modern: awesome] is this place."

Sant'Agnese fuori le mura (Saint Agnes Outside the Walls) is built over an extensive, ancient network of catacombs containing the remains (minus the head, which is in Sant'Agnese in Agone in central Rome) of Saint Agnes herself, a IIIrd century martyr. Visitors can enter the catacombs for tours, which end at the Saint's resting place, in the crypt just below the church's altar.

Sant'Agnese fuori le mura - the building standing there today - was built in the VII century, and the catacombs tour guide assures us that the decorations (including the mosaics in the apse above the altar) are original, which (doing the math) makes them more than 1400 years old. (The Wikipedia page for the Basilica basically confirms this.)

Adjacent to Saint Agnes is an even older building, the Mausoleo di Santa Costanza, built by Constantine for the remains of his daughter. (She's not really a saint, but was venerated as one.)

The mausoleum retains its original decorations - all mosaics, according to the officials - from its construction in the IVth century.

Mantova, 29 May 2018 (day trip from Cesena)

We all know about fig leaves, which are one form of 'modesty cover' (my term) used in prudish paintings and sculptures. The Tomba Famiglia Guaresi in Mantova Cemetery takes 'modesty cover' to an extreme that can only be described as hilarious. (Or painful, if his expression is any indication.)

Cesena, 28-31 May 2018 (cemetery visit 30 May 2018)

The sculptor of Antonio Aldini's bust for this memorial in Cesena Cemetery seems to have caught the man at a moment of surprise. The more I look at this the creepier it gets. I'm glad I saw it first in bright daylight.

There's only one way to describe this view of Jesus: a ripped six-pack. No disrespect intended - I'm sure he was in great shape all his life. (Tomba Lodovico Bratti [1850-1924] e Famiglia, Cimitero di Cesena)

This family interred at Cesena Cemetery has a most interesting name which can be translated as 'Dead Cat'. I wonder if this occurs to their Italian friends?

This tomb for the family of Giuseppe Pasolini Zanelli (1844-1909) is dedicated to 'Uncle Pietro'. Notice that, despite the lack of wings, this appears to be the Genius di Morte (best translated, I suppose, as Angel in charge of one's Death), as he holds the downturned torch of life behind his right leg. As noted in previous vacation posts, Germans refer to this figure as Ruhenden Engel (Resting/Reflecting Angel) or Trauernden Engel (Grieving Angel). This is the antithesis of the 'grim reaper'.

The sculptor, Mauro Benini (1856-1914) has used a stone-carver's trick - finger supports - to guard against breaking such vulnerable, thin bits of marble in the hands.

I include this touching sculpture in the collection here to give him his due, where others have posted the picture without any details. Cesare Zocchi (1851-1922) was the sculptor and it stands on the Tomb of the Hermes Norus family, dated 1884. It's in the Cesena Cemetery. (And we all know what 'PAX' means, right?)

Like many cemeteries - maybe even most? - Cesena has a few whimsical memorials. Obviously, Paolo Tordi was a motorcycle enthusiast. As he no longer needed his helmet, why not enshrine it in his monument?

As promised above, here's the full skeleton sculpture, found in Cesena's Chiesa di Santa Maria del Suffragio.

Faenza, 30 May 2018 (day trip from Cesena)

This graffito (the one on the right) caught my eye as the taxi was speeding through the streets of Faenza. At first, I thought it said 'burro', which would allow a pretty straightforward translation to 'donkey' (or worse). But when I realised it was 'birro', I had to admit my woeful lack of knowledge of Italian slang, and go look it up. In the Mediæval republics it referred to 'policeman' or 'ardent soldier'. Not here, obviously!

According to the book Dirty Italian (Gabrielle Euvino, Berkeley CA: Ulysses Press, 2012 [Second Edition], p.40), it's the equivalent of what Italian-Americans refer to as a 'Guido' - "sun-glasses . . . good looking (in a Ken-doll kinda way) . . . the typical Jersey Shore stereotype."

Now I'm more confused than ever.

This elegant sculpture of a guiding angel pointing the way to eternity is the monument for Francesca Rossi (1876) by sculptor Giovanni Collina Graziani (1820-1893) at the Cimitero Dell'Osservanza in Faenza. It seems to be another exception to my assumption that female angels guide female humans. That's probably because it was sculpted in 1876, when virtually all angels were still portrayed as male.

Note that the monument is in very good shape, showing the obvious signs of being restored recently. I'll never cease to be amazed how sculptors can make their figures appear to be floating on air.

Here we have another instance of a sculpture being posted on the Web without attribution, not to mention without the entire context. The figure at the lower left appeared on an Italian Web site for Faenza cemetery all by himself, looking up at nothing, it seemed. Now we see that he's looking up at the paterfamilias, Sig. Marabini, at the top of the family mausoleum. It's still not clear why the youth is gazing upward, but that kind of mystery is acceptable in art.

You may have noticed the sundial on the Marabini mausoleum just above. Not only is it an unusual addition to a funerary monument, but it's accurate. (This picture was taken at 09:32.)

In my experience at a dozen or more XIXth century European cemeteries, it is relatively rare to see an image of an older angel, especially one helping (guiding?) a younger deceased into the next life. This tomb of the Tabanelli family at the Faenza Cemetery could have been sculpted in the XIXth century or more recently, as the dates of those inscribed at the base range from the 1860s to 1960s. The presence of the scythe along with the wreath add to my confusion.

La Spezia, 3 June 2018 (day trip from Rapallo)

Nene Bargiacci (1930-1950) was undoubtedly a surfer, It's unfortunate that this remarkable monument, at La Spezia cemetery, is crumbling apparently due to the effects of weather. The underside of that surfboard is mosaic.

Two reasons for including this tiny monument, probably a niche for ashes, in the collection here: first, the extravagant moustache on soldier Gianetti, and second the name Gianetti itself, which is the same as a branch of my own family.

Lavagna, 3 June 2018 (day trip from Rapallo)

The main 'quad' at Lavagna Cimitero Monumentale is full, as you can see. Behind the wall at the back of this picture is a newer portion of the cemetery, such additions being a feature of virtually all the cemeteries begun in the XIXth century (for obvious reasons).

I will begin here a tribute to the master sculptor Luigi Brizzolara (1868-1937), whose work you will see in several cemeteries below. Brizzolara was a student of Giovanni Scanzi (1840-1915), in fact finishing Scanzi's last work at Staglieno, as you'll see when we travel there later on this page. As Brizzolara's work developed in his mature years, his sculptures tended to be bronze, rather than marble, and they got very big and heroic. In this 1928 monument he actually assigns a metaphor to the life of Giovanni Parma (and all of us). The inscription just above Parma's portrait says, "ET QVASI CVRSORES VITAE LAMPADA TRADVNT" - "And like runners, they pass on the torch of life." The quote from Lucretius (De Rerum Natura, Book II, line 79, with Lucretius' original spelling of VITAI) also appears on the West façade of the Los Angeles Public Library (1926).

The young angels mourning the loss of Annetta Schiaffino (died 1917) at Lavagna Cemetery might represent her friends and playmates.

Chiavari, 1 June 2018 (day trip from Rapallo)

Chiavari Cemetery is on a hillside - like many of the cemeteries of Liguria - so make sure you visit while you're still in reasonable shape.

Adding to my tribute to Luigi Brizzolara is easy at Chiavari (pronounced Ch'YA-va-ree). His family's tomb is here, marked by this colossal bronze, which you can locate in the wide-view photograph just above. The Brizzolara family tomb is at the top of the main hedge-lined path into the cemetery, just to the left of the stairs to the big building the in centre of the picture. (The same sculpture was also cast for Brizzolara's personal tomb [1937] at Staglieno in Genova.) On the other side of the path across from Famiglia Brizzolara is the tomb of Famiglia Graffigna topped by another colossal bronze figure. Both are inscribed with an explanation that the sculptures were left unfinished at the time of Brizzolara's death in 1937.

Brizzolara's sculpture gracing the tomb of Giovanni Casanova (1902) at Chiavari is almost (but not quite) a copy of his sculpture on the Fletcher Monument (1896) at Staglieno. Both works have been restored in recent years, shining as if they had just been created. (You can see my photograph of the Fletcher monument about 1/3 of the way down the page in my vacation pictures from two years ago, if you promise to come back and finish this page.)

Brizzolara's angel, deep in thought, looks out over Chiavari.

Not all things in cemeteries have passed on.

This monument for Augusto Nomis (1815-1881) at Chiavari is mildly interesting, as it is bronze whereas most sculptures of this size are marble or other stone.

Around the back of the Nomis child, however, is a weirdness that I have not been able to explain for myself. A sort of hook has been added, with screws, to the child's neck. This could not possibly be part of the original sculpture. What is it for?

Now for the absurd. I mean, how could this possibly happen, that the '7' in Maria Pittaluga's birth year would end up upside-down? A marble relief like this would have to be hand-worked, not machine-made, right? After all it's unique to this person. However it occurred, the fact that it was made permenent for all time is astonishing.

A line-up like this makes you wonder if there's any marble left in the quarries.

Luigi Brizzolara's work, like most artists, is not confined to cemeteries. This 1898 monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II (1820-1878) stands in a central piazza in Chiavari.

Rapallo, 1-3 June 2018

I'm going to claim this is one of my 'view from the hotel room' pictures, but that's a bit of a stretch. This is a veranda just outside my top-floor room at the Hotel Stella in Rapallo that is available to all guests - but no-one else was ever there!

For those who wouldn't already know, this 'logo' on the engine of a train originally said 'Trenitalia', the national railway company. As the result of what I admiringly call 'creative vandalism', we now have a borderline rude word for all to enjoy. Whatever your views, you gotta admire the craftsmanship in matching the surrounding green, rounding the curve of the 'P' as you cut off the leg of the previous 'R', &c.

In previous vacation postings, I have noted my fascination with the early-Christian 'hand-codes' seen in paintings and statues. This relief on the mausoleum of the Schiappacasse family in Rapallo Cemetery is another example of the 'two-finger salute'.

Genova-Nervi, 2 June 2018 (day trip from Rapallo)

This Angelo Tutelari sculpture in Genova-Nervi's Chiesa di San Siro has a placard next to it that explains the function of the angel as both protection and guidance "towards the Lord, my God".

Luigi Pampaloni (1791-1847) gave the world this "Bimbo inginocchiato orante" ["Kneeling Child in Prayer"] (1830c.), now in the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in the Genova suburb of Nervi. The world took it and has been using copies as grave markers ever since, one of the most familiar sculptures in cemeteries all over Italy as well as the Americas and elsewhere.

This type of palm tree is common in my part of the world - I have three of them in my yard - but nothing like this one in the Nervi Park, which - believe it or not - is a single plant! That red and white pole is a 'crutch' supporting the branch extending far to the left.

This orinatoio, once a common feature of larger European cities, is now a rare, (very) welcome sight.
I would prefer just a bit more 'cover', however.

Santa Margherita Ligure, 3 June 2018 (day trip from Rapallo)

An unknown (to me) architect must have created this after a wild Art Deco dream one night.
It was constructed as the Famiglia Roisecco tomb in the Cimitero di Santa Margherita Ligure.

The mosaic and gold-plating on the façade are pretty impressive in person.

Genova-Sampierdarena, 4 June 2018 (day trip from Genova)

The great Cimitero Castagna in the historic Genova suburb of Sampierdarena is rich in its sculpture and tragic in its neglect. I learned on this trip of the rumour (urban legend?) that Black Masses sometimes are carried out here. High on the hill above the main porticato buildings rambling pathways lead to mausolea and tombs that I would guess are seldom visited. This remote area features this sculpture by Onorato Toso (1860-1946) for the tomb of teenager Giuseppe Ernesto Piacani (1875-1890), showing him as he probably was on most days of his life, in knee-length pants and sweater. Despite nearly 130 years of crust from soot and dust and mold, when you get close you can see the ribbing of the weave of his sweater, testament to the detail of the sculptor's art.

I'll introduce this tragedy with a photograph of another Onorato Toso sculpture, just behind Ragazzo Picani shown above. This picture appeared in Franco Sborgi's remarkable book on Ligurian Cemeteries, Staglieno e la scultura funeraria Ligure tra Ottocento e Novecento (Torino: Artema, 1997, p.344). Without any fanfare or assignment of blame, let me just say . . .

. . . this is what it looks like today.

Genova, 4-8 June 2018

View from the hotel room - Genova's Stazione Piazza Principe from the fourth floor of the Hotel Bellevue.
(No, it wasn't noisy.)

With this viewing (and picture-taking) at Staglieno, I solved a mystery regarding this, the last work of Giovanni Scanzi (1840-1915), which was finished by his student and protégé Luigi Brizzolara (1868-1937), who, as noted above, is being featured in this posting. Sources refer to it alternately as the Bertollo monument, or the Ferralasco tomb, or even the Bertollo Ferralasco tomb, as if that's one person. The plaque on the base makes it clear: "Nicola Bertollo e Giulia Ferralasco, coniugi". The tomb of a married couple who used different surnames!

This 'pair' is unique in my experience - two versions of the same original sculpture by the same artist in the same cemetery. Guido Galletti (1893-1977) is well-represented at Staglieno in the 'modern' category, and took the unusual decision to put his grieving (some say pensive) man on the Tomba Germani (1939) high in the Boschetto Irregolare, and the same figure in the same position, this time with soldier's armour, on the Tomba Famiglia Dellepiane (date unknown) in the lower-level Porticato Sant'Antonino. (The latter is one in a group of three large figures above an inscription.)

I don't know what this is. On the one hand, it is on a supporting wall that has no tombs or monuments on it; on the other hand, it looks like it might be an ultra-modern sculpture of some sort, if it isn't a damaged or destroyed machine. I just don't know.

One of the things I really looked forward to on this trip was to see the three Scanzi sculptures that have been restored at Staglieno in the past few years. This is my picture from 2014 of the great Angelo Nocchiero (1886), my favourite of all cemetery sculptures that I've ever seen, on the Tomb of Giacomo Carpaneto (1811-1878). This is how it looks in most Web photographs and all the books published on Staglieno in the last 50 years or more.

This is how the Nocchiero looks now, after its expert restoration in 2016.

This relatively small, exquisite sculpture by Scanzi (1893) is more of a bas-relief, placed on a cippo (stone) in Staglieno between two of the larger niches. It sits over the tomb of Elisa Falcone, a young woman who died in 1890. Her family's tomb (1880), which Scanzi also sculpted, is nearby. This photograph by Thomas Krueger shows how it looked last year.

This photograph (mine) shows its remarkable rejuvenation, returning it essentially to the pristine look of the plaster model from XIXth century photographs published by Ferdinando Resasco in his Staglieno Camposanto (Milano: Stabilimenti Menotti Bassani & C., 1904).

The third Scanzi restoration at Staglieno is the magnificent Angelo della Risurrezione (1877) on the Tomb of Carlo di G.B. Casella (1818-1874) and Family. This is how he has looked, bent trumpet and all, for the past several decades. (Experts at the cemetery believe the trumpet was damaged by workers moving ladders, not by vandals.)

This is how the monument looked on my visit, nearly completely restored (except for the trumpet, which required special attention in the workshop because of its metallic composition).

The restoration revealed that the monument uses three different types of marble - white (Carrara) for the angel and the effigy of the deceased (barely visible here at the right of the picture); marble of brownish hue for the bed; and a darker grey colour for the blanket covering Sig. Casella's body. The illusion of the angel in mid-air is nothing short of magic from any viewing angle.

I had the honour of meeting the artisans who did the Casella restoration, seen here applying (or rather, removing!) finishing touches on the base of the monument. They later kindly informed me (via eMail) that the angel's trumpet is now straightened, fortified against future damage, and replaced in the angel's hand, ready for another century of admiring visitors.

We return now to Luigi Brizzolara, whose monument for Famiglia DeBarberi (1918) at Staglieno also has been restored.

Brizzolara's monument for the Tomba Famiglia Bruna (1930) at Staglieno is an example of the sculptor's tendency to use bronze, not marble, in his later works.

Cuneo, 6 June 2018 (day trip from Genova)

The day-trip to Cuneo in Piemonte (NorthWest of Genova) netted only two pictures, and was worth the time spent in train delays and avoiding the rain. This family basically had an 'alley' between two larger monuments, and the creative sculptor appears to have used every inch of what was available for their memorial.

I wish I knew the date of this sculpture, so I could fit it into the timeline for the transition from male (XIXth century and earlier) to female (XXth century) angels in funerary art. My guess that this would be right on the dividing line (so to speak), as the figure is essentially androgynous. It sits in the Tomb of the Dogliani Family at Cuneo Cemetery, and doesn't seem to have a sculptor signature or other attribution.

Compare the Dogliani angel just above with this very similar figure by Lorenzo Caprino (fl.1899-1914) from the 1899 Monument for Angelica Pietri-Azzati (1857-1897) at Cimitero Sassari in Sardegna (Sardinia). (This photo is from sardegnadigitalibrary.it. I haven't been to Sardinia as yet.) The androgynous nature of this sculpture is unmistakable, and the turn of the century (1899) would place it right in the middle of the transition I've been outlining.

Savona, 8 June 2018 (day trip from Genova)

The central portion of this rather 'busy' sculpture by Achille Canessa (1856-1905) for the Tomb of Vincenzo Aonzo (1833-1900) and his descendants depicts a female angel addressing a woman and pointing the way, apparently, to heaven. The monument is in the Cimitero di Zinola in Savona.

In the same Savona Cemetery, a guiding angel points heavenward for another woman, this time on the Tomba Famiglia Caroggio-Fava. From the inscriptions on the side walls of this tomb, my best guess is that this sculpture was made in the mid-1920s, but that's just a guess.

On the pathways of Savona's Cimitero di Zinola outside the main buildings, this unusual raised sarcophagus for the family of Umberto Gualco (1889-1951) is noticeable just because it is so different.

The end panel features a detailed marble eagle, with the inscription "RENOVABITUR UT AQUILÆ JUVENTUS TUA" ("Like the eagles, your Youth will be renewed"). Variations of this quote appear on other tombs in other cemeteries, including Guido Galletti's 1931 cippo (stone) for Ettore Mugnaini (1982-1925) at Staglieno. That quote reads, "RENOVATUR UT AQUILA IUVENTUS MEA" ("Like the eagle my Youth is renewed").

This modest grave site is inspired. It is the burial place of Suore di Nostra Signora della Neve - Nuns of Our Lady of Snow. Isn't that marvelous?

The trend in the XXth century toward colossal statues of bronze, instead of marble, is nowhere more evident than here. These figures are around twice life size, sculpted by Nanni Servettaz (1892-1973) for the Tomba Famiglia Natale Damonte (1931) at the Savona Cemetery.

Varazze, 8 June 2018 (day trip from Genova)

Varazze offered the last cemetery visited on this trip. Here an old theme is revisited - an angel writing part of the inscription.

This remarkable chapel (architect unknown) for the Famiglia Guastavino at Varazze Cemetery is eclectic, to say the least. Marble Ionic (I think) columns, Egyptian-style sphinxes at the entrance, and a four-dimensional cross on top (visible as a cross from any angle, with its intersecting horizontal bars). To me it is quite reminiscent of the Tempietto (c.1500) next to San Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculum Hill in Roma. (See my 2016 vacation pictures, about 2/3 of the way down the page, for a record of my visit to that site.)

Stockholm (Arlanda Airport), 11 June 2018

The Jumbo Stay Hotel and Conference Center at Arlanda (Stockholm) Airport. There is nothing more to say!