During a visit to the monumental Staglieno Cemetery in Genova, I was surprised to see several gravestones bearing the name ‘Picasso’.

The artist Pablo Picasso, creator of the famous “Guernica” image and many other artworks, was born in Malaga, Spain, and died in Mougins, France.

After seeing the Picasso name commemorated in several places within the Staglieni Cemetery in Genova,  I became curious, and did a little research on the Internet.

I found out that Picasso is a family name that is typically found in the Italian province of Liguria, in which Genova is situated. The artist Pablo Picasso’s maternal great-grandfather, Tommaso Picasso, moved from Liguria to Spain in about 1807. The name Picasso is only part of the artist’s full name, which is, hold your breath: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. Ruiz & Picasso were respectively his father’s and mother’s surnames.

Whether or not the Picassos who are intermediate in the cemetery in Genova are closely, or even remotely, related to the famous artist I have yet to discover.

So far, all that I can conclude is that in the case of Pablo Picasso one can say it is a case of ‘from Genova to’ Guernica’