The most terrifying place in Palermo Sicily, The Capuchin Catacombs - Mummy of Rosalia Lombardo

IN SICILY, WHERE THE RELATIONSHIP between the living and the dead has always been strong, the city of Palermo hosts one of the world’s more bizarre and morbid tourist attractions. Through the doors of the Capuchin Monastery, which looks like any other building from the outside, visitors can descend into the large Capuchin catacombs. Pinned to the walls, sitting on benches and shelves and tucked away in open coffins are nearly 8,000 corpses, each one dressed in their Sunday best. In most of Western culture, the long-dead are generally kept out of sight, hidden from the living. Here, it is the exception. Nothing stands between the living and dead, except maybe a rope with a sign asking visitors to be respectful. The conservation status of the countless corpses exposed make the cemetery of the Convent of the Capuchin Friars, known as the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, one of the most impressive places to visit in the world.