Discover Tarquinia

Tarquinia is a town of about 15,800 people in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio. It stands at 133 metres on a hill overlooking the lower course of the river Marta, near the Via Aurelia, in the Lazio Maremma not far from Tuscany.

It is renowned for its Etruscan necropoleis, which contain some of the most important painted tombs of the ancient world, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia — the Monterozzi necropolis was inscribed in 2004.

The geography of the ancient city matters and surprises people. The ancient city stood on the plateau of the Civita, north-east of the modern town, from which it is separated by the plateau of the Monterozzi, where the great necropolis lies. The modern town is a third site, not built on top of the old one.

Tarquinia was one of the principal cities of the Etruscan dodecapolis, and ancient tradition gave it a founding role for the whole civilisation: Tarchon, its eponymous hero, was credited with founding both the city and the league, and the countryside here was where Tages — the boy with the knowledge of an old man — was said to have revealed the disciplina to the Etruscans. For that reason the ancients considered Tarquinia the cradle of Etruscan religion.

The modern name is recent. The town was Corneto until 1872, then Corneto Tarquinia, and took its present name in 1922 after the ancient city of Tarquinii.

Why is Tarquinia important? For its Etruscan necropoleis, which contain some of the most important painted tombs of the ancient world.

Is it UNESCO-listed? Yes. It is a World Heritage Site as part of the Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia; the Monterozzi necropolis was inscribed in 2004.

How many tombs are there? Over six thousand of every period have been catalogued on the Monterozzi, of which about four hundred are painted hypogea dating between the archaic age and Hellenism.

Can I see all of them? No. Access is limited and rotated for conservation, because the paintings are humidity-sensitive.

Where was the ancient city? On the plateau of the Civita, north-east of the modern town, separated from it by the Monterozzi plateau and its necropolis. The modern town is not built on the ancient one.

What changed around 530 BC? The funerary painting was renewed by the arrival of Ionian painters fleeing an Asia Minor conquered by the Persians.

What is the connection with Rome? Tradition places Demaratus of Corinth, father of Tarquinius Priscus, here; from Tarquinia the Tarquin dynasty moved to take power in Rome. After Tarquinius Superbus was expelled in 509 BC, the city supported his attempts to return.

Why is it called the cradle of Etruscan religion? Because the Tarquinian countryside was where Tages — the boy with the knowledge of an old man — was said to have revealed the disciplina to the Etruscans. Numerous Roman rites derived from the city, and a college of sixty haruspices existed here even in imperial times.

Was the town always called Tarquinia? No. It was Corneto until 1872, then Corneto Tarquinia, and was renamed Tarquinia in 1922 after the ancient city.

What was Gravisca? The city's coastal emporium, frequented by eastern Greek merchants, whose sanctuary yielded Greek dedications to Aphrodite, Hera and Apollo.

How do I get there? Near the Via Aurelia from Rome, with a station on the Rome–Grosseto coastal line below the town.

What if I can't manage stairs? Visit the national archaeological museum in town, where detached paintings and grave goods are displayed.