Trip To Tarquinia

 'Hey Johnie Cope! Are you waukin' yet?Are your drums abeating yet?'

Adam Skirving, 1745

I am woken by the sound of drumming. Gentle but deliberate. It's still dark. August 28th- just! Yes, it's the rain.The sound of September indeed. But early. I lie in bed. The drumming becomes louder. My marching orders: Rinse and refresh. Spritz and sparkle. Splash and dash!

The stormy shores of Sardinia are but a distant memory. Time to make more. Time to plan my next trip. My trip to Tarquinia.

So where and why Tarquinia? Tarquinia is about 90km from Rome and was one of the main cities of the Etruscan people, an ancient race who lived and flourished in the centre of Italy, long before the Romans came on the scene. They take their name from the 'Etrusci' which is the name the Romans gave them, which is also the origin of 'Tuscany', the centre of their civilisation. The peoples called themselves 'Rasenna'. The Etruscan civilisation flourished between 750-400BC and was incredibly prosperous. They were a seagoing people forging links all over the Mediterranean. They also had  a strong army and were a warrior race.

Unfortunately  very little of ancient Tarquinia remains and I must confess that I was disappointed on arrival. A typical modern Italian city   greets you with a large carpark in the centre. Find the change, feed the machine and walk on as there is still much awaiting that will impress!

I would move swiftly on to the mueum which is housed in the ancient Vitelleschi Palace. This museum is one of the most important in Italy,  and here I guarantee you will be impressed.  

The museum is on three floors:

On the ground floor you can view the massive stone sarcophagi dating back from the 4th century BC

On the first floor there is an interesting collection of objects showing   the evolution of Greek and Etruscan painting. 

 

Continuing in the following rooms you can admire some valuable locally produced ceramic and metal artefacts.

 The jewelery may  be old  (over 3000 years) but its design is bold and could easily be sold today.  

On the second and last floor are the air-conditioned rooms that house the painted tombs and frescoes . In this section  you can view  the most famous piece of the whole museum, a unique work in the world,  the Winged Horses, also coming from the Ara della Regina.The Ara della Regina stood on the highest point of the acropolis, and was used for prayers and sacred rite. They are 1.15 meters high and 1.25 meters wide, and the sculpture was placed on the pediment of the temple. Winged creatures to marvel at for a long time!

Finally you must awaken and hasten on to the necropolises.A world heritage site with 6000 tombs, 62 of which are decorated. They are situated at Tarquinia itself and at nearby Cerveteri (the best selection) They range from the 9th to the 1st centuries BC.

 At Cerveteri, known as Banitaccia, we have an urban but largely underground arrangement of tombs, with streets, small squares and neighbourhoods. In fact the Etruscans created the first urban culture in the western Mediterranean, surviving for around  700 years, from the 8th to the 1st century BC in central Italy.

 

These necropolises have been described as 'masterpieces of creative genius' and the tomb paintings are impressive both for their artistic quality and for what they tell us about Etruscan life, death and religious beliefs. The tombs themselves resemble Etruscan homes- of varying sizes depending on the wealth and status of their owners.

If only walls can.....! I let them do so below.

I'm sure that you will agree that they give us an unique testimony to this facscinating forgotten people and their vanished culture. So when in Rome and after the drum beats of autumn, mount your steed. And haste ye on. On to Tarquinia.