Catacombe dei Cappuccini di Palermo

The Catacombs of the Capuchin Friars (Catacombe Frati Cappuccini) in Palermo, Sicily, are an extraordinary set of underground galleries holding around 2,000 mummified bodies — the largest such collection in the world. Excavated in tufa, the corridors stretch for some 300 m² and trace centuries of Sicilian mummification practices that began with the discovery of 45 naturally preserved friars and expanded after 1783 to lay benefactors. The site offers self-guided visits with sections explaining the history and techniques of mummification.