A small side chapel off an ordinary church five minutes from the Duomo, lined floor to ceiling with human bones arranged in patterns — a thirteenth-century charnel house rebuilt in the 1690s after a bell tower fell on it, with a rococo ceiling painted over the top.
The bones came from a hospital cemetery, from the plague, and from the condemned. It is quite small, entirely unsigned from the street, and unforgettable.
What it costs
⭐ Free, with a donation box. It is a consecrated chapel, not an attraction.
⚠️ It keeps short and irregular hours and closes over the middle of the day. Check before you walk there.
When to go
Late morning. ⚠️ Silence, no flash, and it is not a place for photographs of yourself.
Getting there
Five minutes east of the Duomo on Via Verziere, beside the church of Santo Stefano Maggiore. The door is unremarkable and easy to walk past.
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If you only have an hour
Ten minutes is enough and ten minutes is a lot. Pair it with the Duomo, which is what it is round the corner from.
What people get wrong
⚠️ People expect the Paris catacombs and find one room. It is one room, and the ceiling above the bones is the thing nobody mentions.
Nearby
Admissions, closing days and booking arrangements as published and checked on 7 September 2026. These change — the Last Supper’s release schedule has changed more than once — so confirm anything you are relying on before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.