Etruscan Tuscia: Visiting Tarquinia's Painted Tombs and Beyond

By Federico Francolini, Viterbo · Updated 27 October 2026

Long before Rome dominated central Italy, the Etruscans ruled the land between the Tiber and the Arno. Tuscia — the name itself comes from Tusci, the Latin word for the Etruscans — was their heartland, and it is still the best place in the world to understand them. The jewel is Tarquinia, whose painted tombs are among the most important ancient paintings to survive anywhere in the Mediterranean.

Why Tarquinia matters

Since 2004, the Etruscan necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia have been inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage List. UNESCO describes Tarquinia’s Monterozzi necropolis as containing around 6,000 tombs cut into the rock, about 200 of them with painted walls. The paintings — banquets, dancers, musicians, athletes, hunting and fishing scenes, and later demons of the underworld — span several centuries and give us an extraordinarily direct picture of Etruscan life and beliefs.

Tarquinia was one of the great cities of the Etruscan league. Its ancient city stood on the Civita plateau, while the dead were buried on the facing Monterozzi ridge — which is where you’ll go.

The Necropolis of Monterozzi

What you’ll see

The visit is a walk along a grassy ridge with views to the sea. Small modern huts protect the entrances to the tombs. You go down a steep staircase to a glass screen and look into the painted chamber: the glass keeps humidity and breath from damaging the pigments. A selection of tombs is open at any time, rotating for conservation reasons, so you won’t see every famous tomb on every visit.

Tombs often mentioned include the Tomb of the Leopards (a banquet scene), the Tomb of Hunting and Fishing, the Tomb of the Jugglers and the Tomb of the Lionesses. Ask at the entrance which are open that day.

Practical information

The necropolis and the museum are managed by the Parco Archeologico di Cerveteri e Tarquinia. There is an individual ticket for each site and a combined ticket for both.

Check before you go: opening days, hours (which change with the season) and prices are set by the archaeological park. State museums and sites in Italy commonly close one day a week (often Monday) and offer free entry on some days, such as the first Sunday of the month. Confirm on the park’s official website before travelling.

Allow at least 1h30 for the necropolis. Wear shoes with grip — the stairs are steep — and bring a hat in summer: there is little shade on the ridge.

The National Archaeological Museum

In the centre of Tarquinia, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale occupies the Renaissance Palazzo Vitelleschi. Its star is the pair of terracotta Winged Horses (Cavalli Alati), which once decorated a temple on the ancient city and have become the symbol of Tarquinia. The museum also holds sarcophagi with reclining figures, Greek vases found in Etruscan tombs, and several painted tombs that were detached from the rock and reassembled for conservation.

Do the museum first if you can: it gives context that makes the tombs far more meaningful. The necropolis is a pleasant walk of about 15–20 minutes from the centre.

Tarquinia’s medieval town

Tarquinia isn’t only about the Etruscans. The hilltop town has medieval towers, the Romanesque church of Santa Maria in Castello at the edge of the old town, and wide views over the Maremma coast. Down on the sea, Lido di Tarquinia has beaches and, nearby, the Saline di Tarquinia nature reserve, old salt pans that attract birdlife.

Getting there from Rome

By train. Tarquinia is on the Rome–Pisa coastal line. Regional trains run from Roma Termini, Roma Ostiense and Roma Trastevere; the trip is roughly 1h15–1h30 depending on the train. Check Trenitalia for current times.

From the station. Tarquinia station is in the lower town, a few kilometres from the historic centre. Local buses connect the station with the centre (check times locally); taxis are also available. The walk is uphill and along roads, so it’s not recommended.

By car. Take the A12 Rome–Civitavecchia motorway and its continuation towards Tarquinia (around 1h15 from Rome in normal traffic). There is parking near the centre and at the necropolis.

Day trip or overnight? Tarquinia works well as a day trip from Rome. Staying a night lets you see the museum and tombs without rushing and combine with Tuscania the next day.

More Etruscan Tuscia

Tuscania

Tuscania (about 25 km inland) was an important Etruscan centre. Its necropolises include rock-cut tombs, and its National Archaeological Museum displays sarcophagi of local families. The town is also known for its Romanesque churches — see our villages guide.

Norchia and Castel d’Asso

Near Vetralla and Viterbo, the necropolises of Norchia and Castel d’Asso have monumental rock-cut tomb façades carved into cliffs above wooded valleys. They’re wild, little-visited and free to walk around, but signage is limited and paths can be overgrown or muddy: go with good shoes, a map and, ideally, a local guide.

Vulci

On the border with Tuscany, the Parco Naturalistico Archeologico di Vulci combines the remains of an Etruscan and Roman city, a medieval castle housing a museum, and the dramatic Ponte dell’Abbadia over a gorge of the Fiora river. It needs a car.

Cerveteri

Not in the province of Viterbo, but the twin UNESCO site: the Banditaccia necropolis at Cerveteri is a “city of the dead” of earth-mound tombs you can walk inside. It’s a short hop from Rome and pairs perfectly with Tarquinia over two days.

Understanding the Etruscans in one paragraph

The Etruscans were a federation of city-states that flourished especially from the 8th to the 4th century BC. They traded across the Mediterranean, wrote in an alphabet derived from Greek, and influenced early Rome in religion, engineering and political symbols. Their language is still only partly understood. Rome absorbed their cities between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Much of what we know about them comes from their tombs, which is why places like Tarquinia are so important.

Tips for a better visit

• Book a guide for the necropolis if you want to understand the paintings; it changes everything.
• Go early in summer: the ridge is exposed and hot.
• Respect the glass and rules — the pigments are fragile and have survived for over two millennia.
• Check combined tickets with the museum and, if relevant, with Cerveteri.
• Have lunch in town: Tarquinia has good trattorie with Maremma-style cooking and fish from the coast.

In short

• Tarquinia’s Monterozzi necropolis (UNESCO, 2004) holds the finest Etruscan painted tombs.
• Visit the National Museum in Palazzo Vitelleschi for the Winged Horses.
• Rome → Tarquinia about 1h15–1h30 by regional train; bus or taxi from the station to the centre.
• Check hours, closing day and prices with the Parco Archeologico di Cerveteri e Tarquinia before you go.
• Extend with Tuscania, Norchia, Vulci or Cerveteri.