Necropoli della Banditaccia

About 42 km north-west of Rome lies Necropoli della Banditaccia, which has a different setting. This monumental Etruscan necropolis listed as UNESCO heritage is estimated to house over 20000 graves, spread over an area of more than 12 hectares (or around the size of 18 football fields), with the oldest graves dating back to the IX century BC. Tuff, a volcanic rock, soft and easy to carve, is generally the material of choice with some of the graves.

There are two main types of burials: the cube and the mound shaped tombs. The cube-tombs form long series, aligned along the sepulchral road forming a village-like structure with neighbourhoods, streets and squares. The mound shaped burials are more impressive and monumental with their interior representing the original house of the dead. This feature helped the researchers to find out more about this mysterious civilization and their residences. Valuables like jewellery, statues and vases, of which, some are imported from other civilizations, where found in the interior of the graves, beautifully decorated with frescoes. The most known and well conserved of all is the Tomb of the Reliefs. It's still in the Necropolis of Banditaccia that was found the world famous Sarcophagus of the Spouses. Cerveteri can be reached by public transportation from the Metro Station of Rome Cornelia, using the Cotral public buses. About 50 km far from Cerveteri, but still on the seaside, is found the town of Tarquinia, our next destination.