Etruscan Necropolis (Necropoli della Banditaccia). The main sight, and a quite remarkable one, is the Necropolis of the Etruscans. This was built on town planning principles similar to those for cities of the living and it is truly a 'city for the dead' to enjoy their afterlife. Many of the tombs, which are carved out of volcanic tuff rock, can be entered. They were designed in a similar way to the less permanent homes of the living, being divided up into several rooms. Many artifacts were left in the tombs to accompany the dead on their journey; those that were not pillaged before the authorities began to get a grip of the situation can be found in various musems in the region, most notably the Villa Giulia museum in Rome.
A major tomb
As you drive to the entrance you will see that the area of tombs is really extensive. Much excavation is still being done and only a small part of the total area can presently be visited. Despite the proximity of Cerveteri to Rome and the importance of the site the Necropolis is not over-visited and a visit can be a pleasant and unhurried experience. Admission is 6 Euros. Under 18 and over 65 free of charge. There is a pleasant bar with outside tables and inexpensive snacks.
The Etruscan museum in the old town is also well worth a visit.
Inside a tomb
"Cippi": Etruscan phallic symbols indicating that the tomb occupants were male
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cerveteri
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Cerveteri Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
