NAPLES - “Naples is a splendid city for the living, not for the dead.” This is how the joint, harsh and heartfelt note opens, released by the concessionaires of the cremation temples of Castel Volturno, Domicella, Cava de' Tirreni and Montecorvino, who frontally attack resolution no. 243 approved last May 29 by the municipal council of Naples. The measure introduces a total fee of 360 euros for the transport of bodies out of the city for cremation and for the return of cinerary urns. A "tax on pain", say the managers, which weighs like a millstone on families already affected by the loss.
The concessionaires denounce an act that they judge to be short-sighted and unjustified, contrary to every principle of freedom and respect for individual choices. The new imposition, they argue, is a measure that distorts the ethical meaning of cremation and debases the right to decide where and how to say goodbye to one's loved ones. “The balance cannot be healed on the shoulders of the dead and the pain of the living,” they write with bitterness, highlighting how the decision of the Municipality of Naples risks transforming a sacred moment into a bureaucratic and financial burden.
But it is not just a moral issue: according to those in the sector, the new tax will make any choice other than the city facility, that of Poggioreale, economically disadvantageous, which now risks inevitable overcrowding. The result? Queues, waiting coffins, lack of space, health and hygiene risks and a cemetery system under pressure.
The final appeal is addressed directly to Mayor Gaetano Manfredi. “Naples is experiencing a season of cultural and urban rebirth – they write – but is this the idea of a city we want for the deceased? A Napoli that taxes pain, mortifies freedom and sells off the dignity of farewell?”. The request is clear: withdraw the measure and give death back the respect it deserves.
Article published on 11 June 2025 - 11:55
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