necropolis of tarquinia

Readers of my travel notes would be cognisant of my passion for sacred sites and Tarquinia is definitely up there on my radar. Set in a wild landscape rich in beauty and ancient history is a recipe of strong magnetic attraction to my femme & i. Over centuries its been a centre for art, a controlling agent over the fords that crossed the Tiber River, trading heavily with Greece and the East. Monuments always indicate greatness and this town doesn't crimp on them. Its medieval walls some 8 km long and largest temples in Eturia, where the famous, iconic, winged rerra cotta horses that are the symbol of the city once adorned the pediment. But we lusted to gaze and gawk at the numerous objects and frescoes in the Necropolis whose treasures revealed in 1000's of tombs show extraordinary richness. Wall paintings depicting scenes from everyday life decorate many tombs and have been crucial in the piecing together for archeologists, one of history's most mysterious civilisation. If a shortcut is your modus operandi, then head for the great underground cave of tufaceous rock at the edge of town, where a real live " tomb-raider" has reconstructed seven of the best painted crypts, complete with utensils and decorative objects. This exhibit called Etrus Copolis, which even my rudimentary Latin says ' preservation extraordinaire'. The creator of this large edifice, a replica exhibiting false Corinthian Vases and other creations is a true wonder, a boon for those with wee time or inclination. Considering there are over 6,000 tombs going to the nation museum is a far better bet than exploring each tomb. Tarquinian artisans specialise in handmade copies of Etruscan art objects, in bronze or ceramic. There is even an art school devoted to creating replicas of ancient works of art. Why raid tombs, when UDL can deliver to your door. Book a room at thr Hotel Tarconte, a quiet inn with a wonderful view and trawl the take-home treasures found in the shops of Marco Bocchio and the "tomb Raider" himself, Omero Bordo. For a fish dinner the Velcamare Reataurant is excellent as is the Arcadia for lovely local fare.

If you stay in Rome, please, spend one day in Tarquinia (by train from Rome and then a bus to downtown). The Necropoli is an unforgettable experience. Tarquinia is a Unesco World Heritage Site, with a necropolis of around 6000 tombs. Some tombs are decorated by frescoes, you can go up and down and you can appreciate some unique scenes, e.g. hunting and fishing scenes in the "Tomba della Caccia e della Pesca". You can go up and down from the history, from etruscan era, one of the most misterosus italian historical people. A free shuttle leaves Tarquinia (in front of the Museum) to the necropolis site. Departures every 20 minutes.I suggest to buy a combined ticket (museum+ necropoli) € 8

The necropolis of Tarquinia is amazing . About a 200km from Rome and 5 km from the sea . The Etruscans ,one thinks, were from the Lydia area of the actual turkish mediterranean coast ,settling in Italy about 3000 years or more ago . Little is known from their langage ,organization or society. Most of the informations has been gathered from the graves,their decorations and the texts of later Roman authors since they were at war with Rome and finally got incorporated in the times of the ancient kings and then Republic a few centuries BC.The tombs are spanning several centuries : 550 to 150 BC but all are underground.To get acces ,you go down narrow ,step steps and then a large room with marvellously fresh coloured paintings on the walls. Scenes of hunting, dancing, jumping animals and musicians all in movement with flowers and banquets were the people are enjoying themselves. And the same in dozens of other tombs were the hellenistic influence of the artists is showing . Beautiful place worth the 2 to 3 hours to visit . The best tombs are the one furthest from the entrance ,so go there first and work you way back ,careful the path is uneven...The modern Tarquinia is also a very beautiful town with piazzas, markets and old towers worth a detourand a very good museum explaining the etruscan art.

Good value for the money, 6euro. You can see bones in the Due Tetti if you look way far to the left. There is a video with English subtitles in the Bartoccini which talks about the Knights Templar graffiti. Those were the two I found most interesting. Note- we pretty much had the place to ourselves, if it is crowded I think it would be frustrating as only 1-2 people can actually look at the cave paintings at a time.

This is a World Heritage Site with 15-20 underground Etruscan tombs decorated with really beautiful painting. The tombs all date from the mid-5th to 3rd centuries BCE. The necropolis is on the edge of town but very easy to reach on foot. Alternatively, there is a free shuttle bus from Piazza Cavour that drops you about 400 metres from the site. The bus is supposed to run every 20 minutes but you gotta believe it. The entrance fee is only €5, so well worth it. The explanations in English and Italian are good. The quality of the painting is fantastic. If you can combine a visit to the necropolis with a visit to the other five tombs at a different site, you'll have seen something really exceptional and unique. Tarquinia is simply totally underrated as a tourist destination.

This is well worth a journey. The site covers a hilltop adjacent to modern Tarquinia and consists of a number of painted underground chambers, well explained in Italian and English. To cover the whole site requires around 90 minutes. Good bookshop and cafe onsite. Free entry on the 1st Sunday of the month and the visit can be combined with a trip to the Etruscan museum in Tarquinia itself.

Amazing history hard to believe we were seeing things so old and the history of living back in the Etruscan age

Impressing site. It will take 1 to 3 hours to visit all. Unfortuantely not all the tombes are open during our visit.

The museum located in the town and the quaintance of the town was a pleasant surprise. The museum and the tombs are a treasure to the history of the area that is not well known but definitely worth a trip to the Town of Tarquinia. With it's close proximity to the beach a stop over is worthy.Note quite a bit of walking and stairs are involved.

Instead of heading off to Rome with the masses off our cruise we chose to see the crypts of Tarquinia and I am so happy we did. Our guide Michel, was very, very knowledgeable and made the experience very enjoyable; until our visit I had a completely incorrect understanding of the concept of a necropolis (city of the dead). The trip from Civitavecchia was short, 30 mins through gorgeous countryside and it was interesting to see all the agriculture and harvest of early summer crops. The Necropolis itself could easily be mistaken for a fallow farmer's field as you approach. There is a small museum and informational centre but the key attraction are the various underground crypts/tombs pre-dating Roman rule. The incredibly well preserved wall paintings were shockingly vivid and to see the evolution of the art from Etruscan to Roman was fascinating. The subterranean crypts are quite steep to navigate and as the site became more busy the one way entrance and exits meant longer waits to see each tomb.I am disappointed that our group did not have more time to see the site, we only were able to see half of the tombs but we received not only an education but a glimpse and appreciation of a history not as well known as its Roman neighbours.

This really did leave us speechless the history and the artefacts is just truly amazing the restoration from the archaeological digs is something to see with artefacts dating back 3000 years . 8 Euro for both the museum and the acropolis dig site well worth it.

This is a stretch for people with mobility issues as the stairways to the tombs are steep and the tombs spread out -- but wow those frescoes are incredible!!

We visited this site in January, when it was quite quiet. The tombs and the murals are amazing. We visited every single grave and loved it. The paintings and clours are so interesting.There is not a lot of space in each grave, only a few people fit in and one has to wait to get a good look. It must get quite crowded in summer. So it is a good advice to visit these tombs in the low season or early in the morning

a LONG walk from TI or cathedral.bus will take you very close, ask at TI.tombs are interesting, good english explanations. need to remember how old these are, so painting in less than perfect condition. great site if sunny day.getting back to town can be difficult, there was a free shuttle, but finding bus stop and waiting requires a leap of faith.ask younger people for help, esp at necropolis.

Nestled in the fields of giant wild fennel (like something from Woody Allen's Bananas), the Necropolis is an amazing education on the differing views of death and life from the optimistic Greeks, to the Etruscans, and then on to the more hellish Roman views. The earlier graves depict a celebration of life and life after "death" under party tents. The frescoes show the common occupations and the social interaction between men and women. Ask why the women are white but the men are so tan!