North Lazio is the opposite of the region south of the capital. Green and forested in central areas, As it goes north it becomes more and more hilly - the landscape resembles Tuscany and Umbria. However, there are not many larger cities and interesting objects; having enough determination (preferably a car) you can see a lot on day trips from Rome. The greatest attractions of the region are the Etruscan heritage. One of the most important monuments they left behind, scattered along the southern stretch of the coast, can be easily reached by car or rail. They are mainly necropolises, which are the only remnant of civilization, developing in this region for almost a thousand years. The coast itself is not very attractive, not counting the short distance near the Tuscan border, so it is better to opt for a swim in the hinterland, w jeziorach Bracciano, Vico i Bolsena, where Romans go on erotic escapades on summer weekends. Situated among these lakes, Viterbo is the main urban center, a rugged provincial town that is a good base for trips to both lakes, as well as to the local mannerist villas and gardens. However, you have to remember, that in the center of North Lazio, getting around without your own transport is a time-consuming activity. Further east is Rieti, big, rather boring and rightfully avoided town on the way to Abruzzo. Behind Rieti are the beautiful lakes and mountains of Terminillo and Amatrice, which, however, are practically out of reach for people who do not have their own transport.
Etruria and the coast
D. H. Lawrence was perhaps the most emphatic in the nature of the naked, low hills, north of Rome towards the border with Tuscany: “Strangely sad coast, the sea strangely flat and sunken, as if lifeless, and the earth seemed to breathe its last and fell into eternal stillness ". Jego Etruscan Places, published from 1932 r., are one of the best guides in Etruscan culture and their cities. The Etruscan past of this area (not counting a few beaches) it is the only justification for trips to this area.
Fregene the Ladispoli
For a so-called bathing beach, FREGENE is one of the gloomiest places, what you can imagine. It is the first major train station after leaving Rome. Long beaches 4 km - twenty years ago the most fashionable in Lazio - are affected by the scourge of mosquitoes and typical commercialization, which even huge umbrellas of pine trees cannot compensate. The Romans come here in large numbers mainly because of the fish restaurants. The sand is a bit cleaner and less crowded than in Ostia, but wash water does not meet even the mildest sanitary standards. Sleeping sunbathers are disturbed by planes taking off from Fiumicino in the south, therefore decent, you have to look elsewhere for lonely beaches.
It is even worse in the neighboring LADISPOLI, which Lawrence summed up in a brief description that was relevant even after sixty years: “Ladispoli is one of those ugly coastal towns near Rome, consisting of new concrete villas, new concrete hotels, kiosks and bathing areas; for ten months of the year desolation and non-existence, in July and August a swirl of bodies… zbezczeszczenie ruin".
Cerveteri
The station in Ladispoli also serves Cerveteri. If you have a base in Rome, it is from here that it is most convenient to start contact with the Etruscan culture. There are also buses to the city from via Lepanto. Please note, that from the station in Ladispoli to the center of Cerveteri is 7 km, and shuttle buses do not always do well.
The human settlement was here from the 10th century BC. and even then it was known to the Greeks as an important trade center. Cerveteri, by the Romans called Caere, it belonged to three main cities in the Etruscan federation consisting of twelve centers. It got rich mainly thanks to the fact that it had mineral deposits in the Tofta hills north-east of the city. (These low hills add a bit of picturesque surroundings to the area). In its heyday, Cerveteri stretched across 8 km (that is, it occupied an area roughly thirty times larger than today) and ruled over the spreading territory 50 km up the coast. The collapse began in 351 r. p.n.e., when Cerveteri became dependent on Rome, having failed, like most of Etruria, remain neutral towards the new power.
Today's Cerveteri was founded in the 13th century., and Lawrence described them rightly - as "unspeakable wilderness". When you arrive, it's best to go straight away, follow the arrows, to the Etruscan necropolises one kilometer from the main square (V-IX 9.00-19.00; X-IV 10.00-16.00; 3000 L). The Etruscans literally built the city of the dead here, amazing and amazingly well preserved, with streets and houses. Some of them are shaped like round bunkers carved out of solid rock (and bringing associations with Egypt); other, covered with earth, form a community of mounds. The tombs come from the period from the 7th to the 1st century. BC. Everything points to this, that women were kept in separate small rooms of the "house" - easily recognizable - while men were put on death beds (sometimes in sarcophagi) carved directly into the rock. The slaves were cremated, and the ashes were placed in urns at the head of their masters. It was a more civilized custom than that of the Romans, who threw the bodies of slaves into mass graves.
Graves (about twelve), that can be viewed, are located near the entrance, between the two roads that cross the city of the dead; they are closed and opened by a chaotic rotation system, so it's impossible to predict in advance, which will be watched on a given day. if it's possible, Tomba Bella should not be missed (The tomb of bas-reliefs), Tomb of the Funeral Beds (Funeral beds tomb) i Tomb of the Capitalli. The cemetery plan can be purchased at the entrance, as well as a good local guide (in English language), titled perhaps too optimistically Meeting with the Etruscans (6000 L).
If seeing the tombs has sharpened your curiosity (and you can spend a good hour in the necropolis), there is also the Museo Nazionale Cerite, at the top of the old town in the 16th-century Castello Orsini (wt.-nd. 9.00-13.00 i 16.00-19.00). The two large halls contain some of the enormous treasures, which were the equipment of the dead - vases, sarcophagi, terracotta tiles and lots of various everyday items; most of the most interesting exhibits were taken to Rome.
It is worth stopping at CIVITAVECCHIA just for that, to change to another train or catch a ferry to Sardinia. This ugly and unremarkable port city should be rather avoided. The docks are at the end of viale Garibaldi, turn right after leaving the station, and under the number 42 the EPT office is located. It's best to take the night ferry, thus saving himself the dubious pleasure of sleeping in the city. The cheapest connections are provided by the FS company, the schedule of which is theoretically synchronized with the arrival of the most important trains from Rome and Genoa. There are two daily calls (morning and evening) from the Aranci Gulf (9 time.) and one to Olbia (7 time.) and Cagliari (13 time.). In the summer, when half of Italy wants to get to the island, you have to make a reservation a few months in advance; even in August it is a bit crowded on board. There are additional courses.
The tourist office distributes tickets for both lines, and reservations can be made at many travel agencies, whether to make a direct purchase in a window on Rome Termini (only FS) or at the Tirrenia office in Rome at via Bissolati 41 (• 4742041). If there is a need for an overnight stay, There are a lot of decent accommodation in Civitavecchia, for example, Locanda Moderna, on the second block to the right of viale Garibaldi, via A. Waffles 2 (*0766/20902), lub Hotel Miramore, viale della Repubblica 6 (*0766/26167), right next to the station on the right. To pass the time before the ferry departs, you can go to one of the numerous cheap pizzerias or to the small archaeological museum on the corner of Largo Plebiscito (near via Garibaldi).