Things to do in Tarquinia
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Necropolis
To see the famous painted tombs in situ, head for the necropolis. Almost 6000 tombs, of which 60 are painted, have been excavated since the first digs in 1489 – only a tiny section of the original area used for burying the dead, which stretched to the coast. Now protected by Unesco, the tombs have suffered centuries of exposure and are maintained at constant temperatures, and are visible only through glass partitions. There are some beautiful hunting and fishing scenes in the Tomba della Caccia e della Pesca; scenes featuring dancers, she-lions and dolphins in the Tomba delle Leonesse; and a surprising S&M scene of a man whipping a woman in the Tomba della Fustigazione (T…
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Museo Nazionale Tarquiniese
On the edge of the centro storico lies the exquisite 15th-century Palazzo Vitelleschi, which houses the Museo Nazionale Tarquiniese. Highlights of its collection include a breathtaking terracotta frieze of winged horses (the Cavalli Alati); a room full of painted tomb friezes; displays of sarcophagi, jewellery and amphorae; and some remarkably saucy ceramics in ground-floor Sala VI. Also on the ground floor, in Sala IX, the Sarcofogo con cerbiatto is a model of 4th-century BC workmanship, showing a half-naked reclining woman holding a plate from which a long-necked dog (the cerbiatto ) is drinking.
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Re Tarquinio
Highly rated, this occupies an ancient frescoed cellar in Tarquinia's medieval centre, and serves dishes such as fettucine con ragout di cervo e salsa di lamponi (pasta with venison ragu with raspberry sauce).
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Il Cavatappi
In the centro storico, this family-run trattoria specialises in dishes made with local products.
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