Catacombe dei Cappuccini

Catacombe dei Cappuccini Review

The spookiest sight in all of Sicily, this 16th-century catacomb houses nearly 9,000 corpses of men, women, and young children, some in tombs but many mummified and preserved, hanging in rows on the walls, divided by social caste, age, or gender; most wear signs indicating their names and the years they lived. The Capuchins were founders and proprietors of the bizarre establishment (many of the corpses are Capuchin friars) from 1599 to 1911, and it's still under the auspices of the nearby Capuchin church. It was closed when an adjacent cemetery was opened, making the catacombs redundant. It's memorable, but is not for the faint of heart; children might be frightened or disturbed.