The first island you encounter when leaving Venice to the north, San Michele has been the city's cemetery since the beginning of the 19th century, surrounded by high brick walls and planted with cypresses.
San Michele, Venice's Island Cemetery
Separated from the Cannaregio district by a simple canal, San Michele forms a rectangle of brick walls and cypresses that can be seen from the vaporetto towards Murano. For over two centuries, it is here, and no longer in the central parishes, that Venice buries its dead.
Access is by vaporetto, with a dedicated stop "Cimitero". The visit, free, allows you to discover a cemetery organized into confessional sections: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, reflecting the diversity of those who chose or received Venice as their final resting place.
Places to discover at San Michele
- San Michele in Isola Church: built in 1469 by Mauro Codussi, considered the first Renaissance building in Venice, with its Istrian stone façade.
- The adjoining cloister: a quiet contemplative space, next to the church.
- The Orthodox and Protestant section: where notably rest Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Diaghilev.
- Contemporary extensions: new sections of the cemetery, part of which was designed by architect David Chipperfield.
Places in San Michele
1 place in this district.
