Tarquinia
TARQUINIA is the most vaunted of the Etruscan necropolises, so you will surely be disappointed. The city itself, despite the partially preserved walls and several medieval towers, looks unattractive. The museum is rather overrated, and the necropolis itself, scattered over a large area and large areas, is often inaccessible. Having the opportunity to visit only one historic Etruscan city, you should rather opt for Cerveteri.
Miasto i National Museum
Few of the objects in Tarquinia deserve any attention. It is quite gloomy, a crumbling city, which is not remembered for long. The local castle guarded the access roads for many centuries. Inside is the 12th-century Romanesque church of Santa Maria di Castello with the first known example of a ribbed vault in Italy. However, the Museo Nazionale attracts crowds (wt.-sb.9.00-14.00, nd. 9.00-13.00; 4000 L, also entitles you to visit the graves outside the city). In reality, however, the fame of the museum is greatly exaggerated. The lower floor has been closed a long time ago, and judging by its state of construction, it will not be available soon. Some really wonderful items have been gathered in half a dozen halls upstairs, including the famous terracotta horses (4th c. p.n.e.), originating Necropolis Tue-Sun. 9.00-19.00; 4000 L
The journey is worth taking only because of the necropolis itself, a checkerboard of graves on the plateau to the south-east of the center. Only that is left of the city, which was once artistic, the cultural and possibly political capital of Etruria. Tarquinia was founded in the 10th century. BC. and probably numbered approx. 100000 residents. Along with the. BC. Roman influence began its gradual decline.
Etruscan cities were built almost entirely of wood, thus most of them quickly disappeared from the face of the earth. The others were rebuilt by the Romans and today Tarquinia is one of the few evidence of the culture existing in these lands for nearly 1000 lat.
Started in 1489 r. the excavations were the first recorded in history. So far discovered 6000 graves (600 in the same year 1958), and much still remains underground. Looting graves is common (thieves are called and tombatrols), therefore the necropolis area is patrolled. The increase in the number of visitors resulted, that only five graves are available at a time. Their list is available at the ticket office in the national museum. The necropolis can be reached on foot, since the nearest tomb is distant 15 minutes from the national museum, but all the terrain extends over 8 km. There are generally four buses a day, though at bizarre times; you can also take a taxi. In any case, the road from the museum runs along Via Umberto I., by Porta Romana, then across the Piazza Europa roundabout and along via IV Novembre to via delle Croci, where the curator lives.
Etruscan graves were often just copies of houses (though less literal here than in Certeveri), which were filled with everyday objects, to ensure everything for the dead, what they will need in eternal life. But there is something else in Tarquinia - murals, the oldest of which come from the 7th or 8th century. BC. There are numerous speculations about their purpose and style. The oldest paintings show mythical and ritual scenes, but later works from the 6th to 4th centuries. BC. (in Orco's tombs, Best wishes, Of the Hunt i Della Pescia) they are characterized by greater realism and give an image of manners, traditions and everyday life of the population. The style of these later works is a fusion of Greek influences, locals, and even eastern, and the lightness and smoothness of execution indicate a civilization at the height of its development. Greek accents are especially important, constituting the only reference to Hellenistic monumental painting, which otherwise died almost without a trace. From the 4th c. BC. there are signs of decadence, the paintings are becoming more and more morbid and purely necromantic.
Practical information… the Tarquinia Lido
The best way to go from Rome is by train, what it takes 50 minutes, if you manage to catch a diretto; There are also eight buses a day leaving via Lepanto in Rome, though it's hard to say, if Tarquinia is worth the two hour trip each way.
From the train station to the distant 2 There are regular buses to the city for kilometers (tickets from the driver), stopping at Barriera San Giusto. The AAST office is located down the street and gives out plans and information.
There is not much to eat in Tarquinia, let alone spend the night. The two main hotels are Croce and the more expensive San Marco (•0766/857190), both at Piazza Cavour. For beer and pizza, you can go to a place with a bizarre name Der Etrusker in via Mazzini (avoid the dingy Cucina Casarecchia across the street), while spaghetti and nightlife are the domain 11 Bucchero via XX Settembre 27. For a glass of wine, stop by Osterina il Grotina, a bit of a damp basement-style bar, at Dante Aligheri 8, where wine is served from barrels piled up in the corner.
The real life of the city takes place in Tarquinia Lido, Accessible by the hourly bus service from Barriera San Giusto via FS station. The three huge campsites in Lido and in Riva di Tarquinia to the north absorb huge hordes of vacationers, and the beaches are, as to be expected, commercialized, with restaurants, discos, sports centers, „pubami”, and even cinemas. The only way to avoid the crowds is to take a short swim at the end of the tour and return to the station.