Cerveteri: Etruscan Necropolises, Trails and Museum

Cerveteri and its Etruscan heritage

Cerveteri offers a glimpse into an extraordinary Etruscan past and landscapes where history and nature exist closely alongside one another. The Etruscan necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia were added to the World Heritage List in 2004. For your stay, this means that the area's cultural history can be explored not only through individual exhibits, but also through extensive archaeological spaces.

The Banditaccia Necropolis comprises thousands of tombs arranged in an urban-style layout with streets, small squares and districts. The tombs date from the 8th to the 2nd century BC. This allows you to encounter a long period of development in Etruscan funerary culture within a cohesive archaeological complex.

A more than 2 km-long road of tombs runs through the necropolis. It developed from the 9th century BC through the Hellenistic and Roman periods. One of its special features is the Tomba dei Rilievi, which dates from the 4th century and contains 13 tomb niches for married couples with painted stucco.

Museum in the historic centre

A second perspective on Cerveteri is offered by the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Cerite. It is located in the historic centre of Cerveteri, in the castle of the Ruspoli family. The museum houses finds from the necropolises and the urban area of Cerveteri and documents the settlement of the area from the Etruscan to the Roman period.

The museum's offerings include multimedia presentations featuring the voice of Piero Angela. The exhibition also includes the e-Archeo HI installation with the Etruscan figure Vel Apucu. This allows you to explore the archaeological themes not only through the monumental tomb complexes, but also through media-based and staged forms of interpretation.

Ancient paths and wooded valleys

The Via degli Inferi is an ancient Etruscan rock-cut road that connected the ancient settlement of Caere with its necropolis. Its landscape is characterised by waterways, forests, lush vegetation and tuff walls, and leads to impressive waterfalls. The historic path therefore represents the link between the archaeological past and a distinctive tuff landscape.

The Percorso degli Etruschi, Trail No. 2, is a shady trekking route. It begins at the Banditaccia Necropolis and passes waterfalls, fords and old ironworks. The path provides a different way to experience Cerveteri's themes: not only tombs and collections, but also waterways, woodland and traces of earlier use shape the route.

Trail No. 3 is a hike from the area of the Banditaccia Necropolis through the wooded landscape of the Monti Ceriti. If you would like to combine an archaeological focus with a route through woodland landscapes, this trail adds another landscape aspect to the historic sites.

Coastal wetland

The natural area of Cerveteri also includes the Palude di Torre Flavia natural monument. It stretches along the coast between Cerveteri and Ladispoli and is of great importance as a wetland for the protection of migratory birds. This coastal area broadens the picture of the region with an ecologically important habitat that is clearly distinct from the necropolis, museum and wooded paths.

Overview of the main cultural sites

In Cerveteri, PACT comprises the Banditaccia Necropolis and the Museo Nazionale Archeologico Cerite.

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