I visited the ProtestantCemetery near Testaccio in Rome last week and I honestly did not expect to see much more than ordinary graves like the many cemeteries around my hometown. It was, however, delightfully different – that is, if a cemetery could be called “delightful.” After to step through the gates off of the unkempt street, you immediately feel a sense of serenity. The morning sunlight passes through tall trees in random beams of light that illuminate several areas more than others. Once I acquainted myself with the hundreds of tombstones jammed into rows upon rows of graves, I began to notice the finer details.
The birds chirping made me feel like I was listening to a soundtrack in a spa. I read some of the epitaphs written in English and I also looked at the ages at which people passed away. I saw one stone that had a beautifully carved baby resting near a cross only to read that it was an infant of only two months of age laid to rest below. The nicely manicured foliage in this cemetery was one of its best qualities. The vibrantly colored flowers all around the plots made you not think about lives rather than their deaths as they rested in peace.
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