James MacDonald (1741-1766), Scottish baronet renowned as a young man for impressing all whom he met with his extraordinary range of learning. He died in Rome from malaria aged 25. His tomb is one of the earliest in the Cemetery and was designed by G.B. Piranesi (as the inscription relates) who was a close friend of MacDonald’s in Rome.
The Non-Catholic Cemetery for Foreigners in Rome is one of Europe’s oldest active burial grounds and is privately operated. Its main purpose is to provide a place of repose for those buried here and to allow their continued, respectful commemoration. One of the greatest challenges we face is to ensure a contemplative atmosphere appropriate for the loved ones of those who lay to rest.
Please note the Cemetery is not offering guided tours for the time being.
In recent years, the site has become increasingly popular among visitors and now requires all groups to be accompanied by a group leader or authorized tour guide. Please book well in advance and note that groups can include a maximum of 14 visitors (i.e. a total of 15 people per group). When cemetery activities permit, we can accommodate up to two groups in the morning and up to two in the afternoon. Kindly fill in the following form and wait to receive a personalized response which will state whether or not we can accommodate your request.
In order to guarantee the right conditions for funerals and cemetery activities, groups will not be admitted into the Cemetery unless they have booked in advance and have received confirmation for their booking. Groups will not be allowed to disband into smaller clusters to visit the site on an individual basis.
We kindly request a voluntary contribution of five euros (per visitor), which may be paid on site to Cemetery staff and goes directly to offsetting the operating costs of the Cemetery.
We are unable to accept phone queries about bookings for group visits and ask group leaders/authorized tour guides to use the following form to book two to three weeks in advance. As the needs of the Cemetery are our top priority, office staff is on duty Monday through Friday and can take over a week to reply. We appreciate your patience and thank you for honoring our mission.
N.B. Space for group visits is highly limited. If you cannot make your scheduled booking, please inform us as soon as possible by contacting: mail@cemeteryrome.it. Group leaders who do not respect their appointments may be denied bookings in the future.
Other Cemeteries:
The Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe(ASCE), of which the Non-Catholic Cemetery is a member
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Italy, there is a CWGC cemetery with the graves of some of the many Commonwealth servicemen who fell in Italy located in via Zabaglia, opposite the Non-Catholic Cemetery
The Protestant Cemetery in Florence
The former English Cemetery in Naples
The Mausolea & Monuments Trust is a charitable trust for the protection and preservation of mausolea and funerary monuments situated in Great Britain and Ireland
The Fondazione Montaigne (Montaigne Foundation) administrators of the English Cemetery in Bagni di Lucca in Tuscany
Other sites of interest:
The Keats Shelley Memorial House, Rome, home and deathplace of the English Romantic poet John Keats, buried in the Cemetery
The Andersen Museum, Rome, studio and home of the Norwegian/American sculptor and painter Hendrik Christian Andersen, buried in the Cemetery
The Fondazione Istituto Gramsci, Rome, foundation set up in memory of the Italian Communist writer Antonio Gramsci, buried in the Cemetery
Casa di Goethe, home of the German writer Goethe during his stay in Rome – Goethe’s son August is buried in the Cemetery
ICCROM, The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Il Trattore, the co-operative responsible for garden maintenance in the Cemetery
Roma Video, click on Musei e Monumenti to see videos about the Cimitero Acattolico and its neighbouring Piramide Cestio
Wanted in Rome, a magazine for the English-speaking community in Rome
Il Labirinto, Rome-based quality in poetry, narrative, essay and art books illustrated by contemporary artists, some of which are on sale in the Cemetery Visitors Centre
The Anglican Centre in Rome building friendly and informed relations between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church
Please visit “Plan your visit” to orient yourselves. For more detailed information, you can visit the resources listed under “Explore“.
We also have an FAQ you may find useful.
