Tarquinia is town which is 92km north of Rome and just 5km from the sea in an area known as Northern Lazio. What is unique about Tarquinia which is a medievial town is the well preserved Etruscan Necropolis with several of the tombs restored so visitors can see the magnificient tombs with fresco paintings on the walls. The Etruscans were Italy’s first real civilization, to settled in the Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria. Tarquinia which was one of 12 Etruscan cities later became a Roman colony.
The necropolis is now UNESCO listed with many of the tomb’s fresco paintings fully recovered. The tombs are all several feet below ground level so you reach them by climbing down a flight of stairs and can peer through a glass window to see inside. Inside all the tombs, there are light bulbs fitted in which visitors can put on from outstide to get a proper view of the fresco paintings on the walls which all depicts various fantasies the people buried in each tomb would have held of the after life.
Visiting the necropolis in Tarquinia is truly one of my most wonderful experiences whilst travelling. It is amazing and a wonder to be able to admire the work of art from thousands of years ago. The illustrations on the walls depicts a reflection of what life was like for the Etruscans. There is also near by an Etruscan museum that you can visit coming out back to Rome.
To get to Tarquinia: The town can be reached by train from Rome or from the coast towns on the Roma-Ventimiglia line. Modern Tarquinia has very good restaurants, a beautiful square full of medieval and Renaissance sights that will pique the interest of both the young and the old. It is also a romantic destination for couples with an information centre where you can also pick up information on various craft workshops, B&B’s and guided tours around the town.
Each tomb has a description of the stories featured in the paintings on the walls. The Etruscans are credited with developing an urban civilization that dates back 9 centuries prior to the birth of Christ. These cluster of amazing tombs are monumental as they provide us with substantial evidence of Etruscan residential architecture. Also, the necropolis of Tarquinia, Monterozzi, contains 6,000 graves cut in the rock and famous for its 200 painted tombs with the earliest dated from the 7th century BC.
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