All Saints’ Day: Cortona, Italy
November 1st is All Saints Day and the residents of Italy celebrate by making a pilgrimage to their local cemetery to decorate the graves of their loved ones. The graves are then illuminated with artificial candles after dark. Cortona’s only cemetery is perched dramatically on the edge of the hillside – it’s spectacular! Larry spent some time in the cemetery with the tripod after we got back from the antiques market in Arezzo, with some beautiful results.
Cortona cemetery on All Saints' Day
Looking across the cemetery
Larry and I liked the name on this grave: Simply "La Mamma"
Cortona's distinguished former residents
Looking up at Cortona
Looking up at the church
One of the things I love about Italian cemeteries is their custom of putting a photo on each headstone. It's great to see their smiling faces and know how much they were loved.
Looking down on the cemetery from above