Necropolis of Tarquinia (Monterozzi)
Necropoli dei Monterozzi
A UNESCO World Heritage Site where about 200 of roughly 6,000 Etruscan tombs are painted with murals, and the vivid scenes of banquets, dancing, and hunting remain bright today.
The Monterozzi Necropolis lies on a ridge east of the city of Tarquinia. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2004, together with Cerveteri. About 6,000 chamber tombs carved into the rock have been discovered, and more than 200 of them have murals dating from the 7th to the 2nd century BC. The paintings depict banquets, music, dance, athletics, and hunting, and they are the most direct evidence of Etruscan life. Visitors climb steps under a small roof and view around a dozen painted tombs through glass, which open on a rotating basis, such as the Tomb of the Leopards and the Tombs of the Hunting and Fishing. The site is about 45 km from Viterbo, and combined tickets are available with the Tarquinia National Museum.
Opening hours
Closed Mondays; 08:30–19:30 (shorter in winter)
Nearby sights
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Tarquinia
- Tuscania
- Vulci Archaeological Park
- Terme dei Papi
- Piscine Carletti
- Viterbo Cathedral (San Lorenzo)
- Palazzo dei Papi
- San Pellegrino Quarter