(ANSA) Rome, May 21 -Italy boasts more than half of
Europe's historic or unusual cemeteries of interest to tourists
but is poorly organised to develop this specialised sector of
the tourism market, a survey made available exclusively to ANSA
says.
As many as 192 Italian graveyards are of touristic
interest, representing 55% of the total in Europe, followed by
Spain with 29 interesting cemeteries, France with 22 and Britain
with 20 cemeteries suitable for tourists, according to the
report by the Jfc company.
Less than half of Italy's most attractive cemeteries offer
tourist visits, however, the report says, adding that the
regions whose cemeteries offer most interest to foreign and
Italian visitors are Tuscany, Sicily and Emilia Romagna.
Currently some 45,000 tourists visit Italian cemeteries
each year but there is potential to jack up the figure to
400,000. Tourists are attracted to cemeteries for cultural
visits, because they are seen as a kind of museum and in order
to visit the tombs of famous people, such as the English poets
John Keats and Percy Shelley at the 'Acatholic' (Protestant)
Cemetery in Rome.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
