Cimitero dei Pinti
The Cimitero della Misericordia is exactly what it sounds like, a cemetery for the deceased members of the Misericordia. It’s one of the oldest cemeteries in Florence, and also goes by the name Cimitero dei Pinti. It’s no longer used to bury the dead because the Misericordia opened another cemetery–Cimitero di Soffiano–but it’s still an important location for the history of the Misericordia. At a first glance, you would not even think there was such an interesting and important place behind the walls that greet you on the street. However, behind those walls is a home for the deceased and a collection of old funeral cars that the Misericordia used to transport the dead. This place echoes what we’ve talked about in class with the significance of walls and how they designate a boundary between that which is civilized and that which is wild. In this case, the cemetery walls separate the dead from the living, which in a way feels reminiscent of old medieval walls as the only real place of safety was inside the walls. Additionally the liminal nature of the Misericordia seems to serve a similar role as Virgil in the Comedy because both guide the dead within a world constructed by Christian values.
