Tarquinia

Tarquinia is one of the main towns of Etruria, the area between northern Lazio and Tuscany that was once home to one of the most important peoples in the history of the Italian peninsula, the Etruscans.

Tarquinia lies on the Tyrrhenian coast, north of Civitavecchia. Like nearby Cerveteri, the town is famous for one of the most important archaeological areas in the Mediterranean, the Monterozzi necropolis.

This burial site has revealed a wealth of information about Etruscan culture, from the earliest Villanovan period (9th century BC) to the 2nd century BC. The beautiful frescoes in Tarquinia's tombs, along with the many objects collected during the excavations and kept in the town's museum, can be read as snapshots of the past that, through the cult of the dead, tell of the customs of a society that is still mysterious in many ways.

As you tour the archaeological site, the attentive visitor will notice something else: the striking landscape around Tarquinia, with green hills planted with grain and olive trees, dotted with farmhouses and small farming hamlets.

It is a rural atmosphere that is probably not so different from the one the Etruscans created 3,000 years ago, making the most of the area's fertile land. Indeed, this area has never been abandoned: after the Etruscans, Tarquinia was colonized by the Romans, and it owes its present look to medieval rebuilding.

Between visits you can stop at one of the many agriturismi (farm stays) along the country roads to savor the typical dishes of Lazio and the produce of this land, famous for its game (above all wild boar, hare and pheasant) served with rustic polenta, and the ever-present carciofi alla romana, Roman-style artichokes.