Mapping the Last Landscapes The Typology of Contemporary Italian Cemetery Design

Abstract

Italian achievements in funerary architecture are widely acknowledged, yet the plurality of contemporary Italian cemeteries remains underexplored. This study employs typological analysis to examine the characteristics of contemporary Italian cemetery design and its relationships with historical types, prototypes, and cultural archetypes. Contemporary cases are classified into four categories—enclosure, linear arrangement, collage, and landscape—and the discussion highlights how representative projects generate new spatial and symbolic imaginaries of the ‘last landscape’. By mapping the breadth and depth of Italian cemetery design, the research reveals that, under the uncertainties of contemporary culture, commemorative architecture must be reconsidered not solely within singular historical traditions but also as part of a global cultural framework, creatively reinterpreted by architects.

Keywords: contemporary Italian cemeteries, typology, commemorative architecture