TARQUINIA

Geographical location:

Rome 90km
Grosseto 90km
Viterbo 40km
Tuscania 18km
Sea beach 6km
Bolsena lake 38km

Tarquinia has the greatest Etruscan museum in the world, with well-preserved sarcophagi, paintings, tombs, frescoes from the 6th to 1st centuries B.C. and the largest Etruscan necropolis. The heart of Southern Etruria, Etruscan capital, mediaeval township, archaeological site of international fame and an intense cultural life, rises 133m above sea-level on a plateau from which it scenically overlooks the Marta River valley and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Visitors may savour its important traditional heritage, covering 3000 years of history, in its numerous precious archaeological and mediaeval exhibits and the territory's variegated natural features: its nearness to the seaside, the Maremma countryside, the nearby Tolfa and Cimini Mountains and the view of the Argentario Promontory and the island of Giglio.
Strolling through the centre of the town, visitors will come upon its many charming spots and experience the grandeur of its towers. Meandering along its narrow streets, unexpectedly opening out onto large squares embellished by a church façade, they will arrive at the ancient walls of the town bordering the soaring cliffside. From this viewpoint the eye can roam over the suggestive landscape, taking in the merging colours of the golden wheat fields, the green countryside, and the different shades of brown of the lands rolling towards the blue sea.

Tourists may also take in Tarquinia's many Etruscan finds by visiting the aristocratic Palazzo Vitelleschi, in itself a masterpiece of Gothic-Renaissance architecture, now housing the National Museum.

The Etruscan necropolis, just outside the town, includes the most beautiful and well-preserved tombs of the ancient world, which bear witness to the cult of the dead of a fascinating and enigmatic people. They are unique in themselves and only comparable with the Egyptian tombs.
At the foot of the town, its seaside resort, complete with urban facilities immersed in the surrounding countryside.