So, those pictures above are pretty much exactly what they look like: a bunch of human corpses. These are from the Palermo Catacombs: by far the strangest, creepiest place I saw on my trip (or in my life, for that matter). According to Wikipedia, the catacombs were made for monks in the 16th century when their cemetery grew overcrowded, but mummification and burial there eventually became a status symbol for the people of Palermo.
The middle picture above is of first monk to be buried there, in the 1500's. The child is Rosalia Lombardo, who died of influenza at age 7 in 1920 but still looks ready for a game of ring-around-the-rosie. Of the roughly 8,000 mummies that line the walls, most fall somewhere in between in appearance. Perhaps because of their condition, taking photos there is prohibited. I owe a great deal of thanks to Kimberly King's website, which has a bunch of pictures and is definitely worth checking out if you want to get a feel for the place.
Walking the corridors there, I was struck by the realization that one of my own distant ancestors or relatives could be among the dead who were thoroughly creeping me out. Seeing that many mummies and corpses really forced me to reflect on the meaning of life and death and the role our bodies play in both, and after wondering through the catacombs I've reached an important decision: I definitely want to be cremated.
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