San Michele
Isola di San Michele
The cemetery island in the Venetian lagoon, enclosed by red-brick walls, where Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Pound and other notable figures are buried.
San Michele lies between the north side of the main island and Murano. In the early 19th century, during the Napoleonic period, burials were moved out of the city for hygienic reasons, and the island became Venice's cemetery. From the water, its red-brick walls and tall cypress trees look especially solemn. The church of San Michele in Isola, beside the entrance, was designed by Codussi and is one of Venice's earliest Renaissance churches. The Orthodox section holds the composer Stravinsky and the ballet impresario Diaghilev, while the Protestant section holds the poets Ezra Pound and Joseph Brodsky. A map of the graves is usually available near the entrance. Admission is free. Opening hours are roughly 07:30 to 18:00 in summer and until 16:30 in winter. Please keep quiet and do not photograph funerals. Take vaporetto Line 4.1 or 4.2 to the Cimitero stop. It is often visited together with Murano.
Opening hours
Summer 07:30–18:00, winter 07:30–16:30 (confirm on site)
Nearby sights
- Santi Giovanni e Paolo
- Libreria Acqua Alta
- Santa Maria dei Miracoli
- Murano
- Venetian Arsenal
- Fondaco dei Tedeschi
- Bridge of Sighs
- St. Mark's Square & Basilica