The "Protestant" cemetary isn't solely for Protestants . It's actually a cemetary for non-Catholics (it was originally restricted to Protestants and practicers of Orthodox faith), and it's located just a few blocks from our apartment in Testaccio. I went for the first time today with the crew of instructors and a few undergrads. The cemetary contains the graves of Antonio Gramsci, John Keats, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, some friendly cats who act as pseudo-keepers of the graves, and tons of colorful and smartly kempt but unkempt flora.
In order to be eligible to be buried in this cemetary (yes! it's still a possibility), one must be a non-Catholic or non-Italian national who was a resident of Rome or died near Rome ("FAQ"). As burial sites go, I preferred this one to the catacombs we visited on the Via Appia Antica (San Sebastiano). Perhaps I gave into the romanticism of the dead poets and intricate marble gravestones . . . nah, I'm sure it was the kitties.
"FAQ." The Non-Catholic Cemetary in Rome. 19 June 2008. 2008
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