Fewer than 200 free spaces remain in cemeteries across San Marino, against roughly 300 deaths every year. In some castelli, finding a burial niche has become virtually impossible.
«We are facing an extremely critical situation», warns Interior Secretary of State Andrea Belluzzi, who brought the emergency figures before the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale) and explained the need to act on old concessions in order to free up space.
The debate accompanied the ratification of Delegated Decree no. 118 on mortuary police regulations, approved on Wednesday, November 4, with 24 votes in favor, 5 against and one abstention. The measure revises the expiry terms for burial niche and ossuary concessions and paves the way for new exhumations, drawing criticism from the opposition over the risk of erasing rights acquired by families.
Belluzzi described a situation that in several cemeteries has already reached breaking point.
«The situation is extremely critical. In Faetano we have no free niches and only 17 ground burial plots. In Serravalle there are neither ground plots nor free niches. In Montalbo we have 80 free ground plots but no available niches». Only Montegiardino and Chiesanuova, according to the picture outlined by the Secretary, show no particular problems.
Around 300 deaths are recorded in the Republic each year: in 200 cases families request a traditional burial, while in about a hundred cases cremation is chosen directly. According to Belluzzi, this choice is in some cases made precisely so that the deceased can rest in the cemetery of their own castello, where otherwise there would be no space.
The Secretary then set a precise target, to be reached within the next three years.
«Within three years we must ensure that in all our cemeteries there are free spaces to bury our fellow citizens wherever they wish. Today this is not possible.» The problem mainly affects families who would like to bury their loved ones in their home castello or next to relatives who have already passed away, but who are forced to seek a different arrangement due to lack of space.
Hence the decision to act on the oldest concessions. The decree identifies 1957 as the first watershed for reorganizing niche expiry dates, allowing the State to reclaim part of them. Belluzzi explained in detail how the measure will work: «The decree – Belluzzi clarified – first of all reorganizes the expiry dates, identifying 1957 as a kind of watershed for letting those niche concessions lapse.
This is an issue we have tried to handle with the utmost possible care, while nonetheless facing an emergency situation. With the ratification of the decree and its entry into force from 2027, in some of these cemeteries we will officially free up niches with concessions dating back to 1957 that have never been used.
I believe this too is an important contribution, because already in Faetano and Montalbo we will have burial plots available and will be able to start giving again the answers that citizens are asking for and that, in my view, could no longer be postponed».
Exhumations represent one of the most delicate steps in the entire operation. Councillor Marinella Loredana Chiaruzzi (PDCS) reported that the company that will carry out the work has already been identified, and called for reinforcing the Civil Status Office staff, who will be responsible for managing the paperwork and relations with families.
Belluzzi announced informational meetings in the castelli and specific training for the staff tasked with contacting relatives ahead of the operations. There also remains the possibility, in certain cases, to renew concessions and to reunite the remains or ashes of several family members in the same niche.
It is precisely on families’ right to keep niches assigned in the past that the political clash centers. Fabio Righi (D-ML) noted that for years many citizens were led to believe they were purchasing a niche outright, not simply acquiring the right to use it for a set period.
Antonella Mularoni (RF) said she had seen documents explicitly referring to a “sale,” and warned that acting on assignments made before 2010, without reaching an agreement with families, could open the door to a long series of disputes. There is also the issue of Sammarinese citizens living abroad, who might return to the Republic only to discover that their relatives’ remains had been moved without their knowledge.
Nicola Renzi (RF) took the same line, arguing that in the past there had been genuine buying and selling, with niches purchased from the State and later resold between private individuals. «In our view, the expropriation of acquired rights is not acceptable», he stated.
Belluzzi rejected this interpretation, citing the 2010 reform: «The 2010 law made clear that these are concessions, not sales.» The Secretary nonetheless announced further review of transfers made over the years, of missing registrations, and of the identification of individual niches.
Silvia Cecchetti (PSD) observed that should disputes over ownership arise, it will be up to the courts to rule, while it is the role of politics to guarantee the possibility of burial.
The opposition also challenged the decision to focus mainly on reclaiming existing spaces rather than building new cemeteries. Maria Katia Savoretti (RF) presented a motion calling for an area to be identified for a new cemetery, potentially a monumental and memorial one, with dedicated spaces for ashes and burials using biodegradable capsules.
The proposal also calls for protecting acquired rights, increasing the cremation contribution, and reporting back to the Council within six months. Gaetano Troina (D-ML) asked why, sixteen years after the 2010 reform, cemeteries have still not been expanded where suitable land exists. Righi suggested also considering the involvement of private parties, should they make usable land available.
The majority, however, defended the need to act immediately. Matteo Rossi (PSD) endorsed the choice to limit expansions and make better use of already available space. «We need to find a way to create space within existing cemeteries», he stressed, recalling that the problem has been known for years and that several opposition figures have themselves held government posts.
Tommaso Rossini (PSD) observed that building a new cemetery would take time and would not necessarily solve the problem for those who wish to be buried in their own castello. Ilaria Baciocchi (PSD) also defended the decree, describing it as the result of a process begun in previous legislatures.
On the construction front, work in Fiorentino is expected to be completed in the early months of 2027, while the site in Domagnano will begin the same year, though it will only allow for the recovery of a limited number of spaces. Secretary of State Matteo Ciacci indicated 2027 as the year by which the planned interventions in Fiorentino, Faetano, Domagnano and Acquaviva should be realized.
«The main goal we have set ourselves as a Government and as a majority is to ensure that our fellow citizens can be buried in their castello of residence», he explained.
The debate also touched on cremation, with the public contribution cut from €1,000 to €500. Renzi and Mularoni criticized the halving of the financial support, noting that the shortage of niches risks influencing a decision that should remain a personal one.
Sara Conti (RF) also urged the introduction of the Capsula Mundi, a biodegradable capsule above which a tree is planted. Ciacci reported that a trial of this solution is currently underway.
Mirko Dolcini (D-ML) called instead for a review of the timeframe for exhuming ground burials, suggesting a period of twenty or twenty-five years rather than ten. «Proceeding with exhumation ten years after burial really seems far too soon», he observed. Belluzzi said he was open to looking further into the matter.
Among other requests, Vladimiro Selva (Libera) proposed giving priority to a surviving spouse when a space is available next to an already-buried family member. Manuel Ciavatta (PDCS) called for funding the expansions already planned, while Dolcini also raised the difficulties faced by citizens who, for religious reasons, are forced to seek burial outside the Republic.
The condition of the mortuary chapel was also discussed, with Sara Conti describing it as inadequate, including for civil farewell ceremonies. Belluzzi said he was willing to look into the matter together with colleagues from the Health and Territory departments.
Finally, the Secretary returned to the nature of the measure, clarifying that it is a response to a situation that allows for no further delay. «I have always said, first and foremost, that this is an emergency measure because we are in an emergency», Belluzzi reiterated, rejecting the idea of attributing responsibility solely to the current government.
«If we really want to be intellectually honest, then we must say that the responsibility is collective, belonging to a political class that never addressed the cemetery emergency and never untangled an important knot».
The decree was then ratified with 24 votes in favor, 5 against and one abstention, paving the way for the application of the new deadlines and for the recovery of burial niches starting in 2027.
