Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia Historical Site

The Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia are two major burial sites in Lazio, Italy, containing extensive Etruscan tombs and funerary monuments dating from the early first millennium BCE. The necropolises provide key evidence for Etruscan funerary architecture, painting and social organisation.

At Cerveteri visitors encounter the Banditaccia necropolis with its tumulus graves and chamber tombs laid out in streets and blocks, while Tarquinia is famed for multiple rock-cut tombs with painted walls depicting banquets, processions and mythological scenes. The tomb ensembles are large-scale and spread across cemetery landscapes that can be explored on foot.

The necropolises were used across many centuries during the height of Etruscan civilisation; construction of monumental tombs and the production of funerary painting and grave goods reflect the social status of families and city-states between the first millennium BCE and the Roman incorporation of the region.

Both necropolises lie northwest of Rome in the Lazio region, on the coastal plain and rolling hills between Rome and the Tyrrhenian Sea, within a roughly 50 to 80 km band from the capital.

• Museum collections: Many important Etruscan objects from Cerveteri and Tarquinia are displayed in museums, including Rome’s Villa Giulia, which houses finds and contextual material from the necropolises.
• Painted tombs: Tarquinia’s painted tombs contain some of the best-preserved examples of Etruscan wall painting, with imagery dating predominantly to the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.

What to See#

• Banditaccia Necropolis (Cerveteri): The Banditaccia necropolis at Cerveteri, an expansive burial ground of tumulus and chamber tombs carved and built from the 9th century BCE onward that illustrate Etruscan funerary architecture.
• Tarquinia painted tombs: The painted funerary chambers of Tarquinia, containing wall paintings depicting banquets, mythological scenes and funerary rites dating mainly to the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.
• Funerary monuments and tomb complexes: Funerary monuments and excavated tomb complexes that together demonstrate regional variations in Etruscan burial practice and social organisation.

The Etruscan necropolises are northwest of Rome and are most easily reached by car from the capital: Cerveteri is roughly 35-45 km from central Rome (about 40-60 minutes by car), while Tarquinia lies further along the coast to the northwest (roughly 70-100 km from Rome, depending on route). Travel is typically via the A12/SS1 (Via Aurelia) and regional roads.

Both towns are also served by regional buses and local trains or combination bus/train services from Rome; once in Cerveteri or Tarquinia the necropolis areas are a short drive or local bus/taxi ride from the town centres.

• Start at the Banditaccia Necropolis in Cerveteri early in the day for cooler temperatures and softer light on the tumulus graves, then continue to Tarquinia's Monterozzi necropolis where the painted tombs require separate attention and limited‑access visits.
• Pair the open‑air necropolises with the nearby archaeological museums in Cerveteri and Tarquinia to see artifacts and find context for the tomb painting styles-museums often close on different days than the sites, so check opening hours before you go.