The Mummies of Venzone

In Venzone, a wonderful fortified town, you may find yourself a few centimetres from its famous mummies.

In the Crypt of the former Chapel of St. Michael, situated opposite the Cathedral, you will have the chance to see five of the nearly forty mummies found in Venzone.

Even Napoleon wanted to come and see these mummies, which where found in the 19th century. Some of them were taken out of Venzone, for example to the University Laboratory of Padua, to the Museum of Vienna and to the Church of the Invalides in Paris.

However, the first mummy was found in 1647 when, by moving a sarcophagus in the Cathedral of Venzone, the "Mummia del Gobbo" (Hunchbacked Mummy) was brought to light: it is called in this way not because of the evident physical defect that seemed to characterize the body, but due to its shape caused by wrong burial.

The phenomenon of mummification is naturally possible in Venzone thanks to a fungus that grows in the Cathedral graves, a parasitic mould called "Hipha Bombicina Pers", which manages to dehydrate a body in one year and make the skin pergameneous.

From April to September:

every day from 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.

From October to March:

every day from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

For information:

Tourist Office of Venzone

Via G. di Mels, 5/4

33010 Venzone (UD)

Tel./Fax: + 39 0432 985034

E-mail: provenzone@libero.it

E-mail: info@venzone.org