Cemetery services

Cemetery services include all activities related to the management, maintenance and use of public or private cemeteries, with the overarching goal of ensuring hygiene, cleanliness, safety and respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.
Puglia has laid down specific rules for the local authorities to ensure good cemetery maintenance, as a means of preventing environmental, structural and health and hygiene risks.

Role of the local authorities

The local authorities are responsible for planning, managing and maintaining local cemeteries. Cemetery services can be operated either directly or outsourced to private undertakings, in accordance with the local regulations.


The main cemetery services are:

  • burial of human remains, including either interment in the ground or above-ground or entombment in niches, mausoleums or ossuaries;
  • disinterment or removal of remains, for routine or extraordinary reasons, from either earth burials or niches, according to the timing and procedures set out in municipal regulations;
  • cremation of unclaimed mortal remains or bones, in the cases provided for by law;
  • routine maintenance of cemeteries, including greenery and facilities;
  • security and surveillance during opening hours;
  • administrative management of concessions, requests for private works and authorisations;
  • management of votive lamps and related ancillary services.

Local regulations

Each local authority adopts its own regulations on burials, cremation and cemetery management, and decides on:

01
the procedures for the allocation and use of burial plots/niches
02
the procedures for requesting and issuing authorisations
03
the opening hours and visiting rules
04
the health and hygiene standards
05
the maintenance operations
06
relations between the managing body and users

Private and religious cemeteries

In addition to municipal cemeteries, the local authority may also authorise private cemeteries and burial grounds for specific communities, charitable institutions or religious organisations, provided they comply with health regulations and burial traceability rules. Religious cemeteries for registered religious faiths and denominations, subject to the prior opinion of the competent ASL (Art. 105 DPR 285/1990).


These cemeteries must comply with the same health, safety and operational standards and rules as public cemeteries.

For further information or assistance, contact the local cemetery services. If you have specific health concerns, or in the event of specific circumstances relating to burials and cremation, you can also contact the forensic medicine department of your local ASL.

Farewell venues 

Farewell venues, offering diverse settings for final tributes to the deceased before burial or cremation, can be set up:

funeral homes
independent venues, located outside hospitals and cemeteries, with visitation rooms for open or closed-casket viewings and where funeral services can also be held
farewell rooms
located outside public or approved healthcare facilities, often inside a cemetery or crematorium, designed to provide a dignified environment for closed-casket visitation, where friends and family can meet to pay their last respects to the deceased prior to disposition

Both funeral homes and farewell rooms are open to all, without discrimination.
Farewell venues must comply with the following conditions and must:

  • be certified as fit for occupancy and meet the relevant health, hygiene and safety requirements (R.R. 8/2015);
  • be designed with functional and accessible spaces including a room for holding the deceased for a short time for visiting and viewing, a staff preparation room, a room for funeral services, a storage room and separate disabled-accessible WCs for staff and visitors; 
  • ensure controlled environmental conditions, with a temperature not exceeding 18 °C in all seasons, appropriate air changes per hour, emergency lighting and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to ensure the functioning of air conditioning and lighting in the event of a power failure;
  • provide vital signs monitoring equipment to detect any signs of life in the deceased, which can also be monitored remotely.

They must also be licensed by the local authority, subject to a favourable opinion by the local ASL.
Farewell venues may not be located in hospitals, public or approved healthcare facilities, residential condominiums, or other communal settings (such as care homes, schools, social or recreational venues), but they may be located within cemetery precincts. 


They must be managed by licensed operators, such as funeral homes or third parties, and authorised by the local authorities. In the case of new buildings in built-up areas, any exceptions to the urban planning regulations or the minimum distance of 200 metres must be approved by the local authorities, who must take the public interest into account.


Furthermore, agreements between public or approved healthcare facilities and funeral homes or farewell venues, regarding funeral or burial services, are prohibited, to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.