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00 Tarquinia
Stemma di Tarquinia

Lazio · Viterbo

Tarquinia

An Etruscan capital on a Maremma ridge whose 6,000 rock-cut tombs at Monterozzi hold the largest body of pre-Roman painting in the Mediterranean.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
1 h 17 min from Rome
By train
Station in the comune
Population
15,942

Known for

  • PAINTED TOMBS

    Around 200 frescoed Etruscan tomb chambers at Monterozzi, the largest body of pre-Roman painting in the Mediterranean.

  • WINGED HORSES

    The Cavalli Alati terracottas from the Ara della Regina temple, fourth-century BC, displayed in the Palazzo Vitelleschi museum.

  • CERAMICS

    Official Città della Ceramica for the medieval and contemporary workshops in the upper town.

  • PROTECTED PRODUCTS

    The commune lies inside the Tuscia DOP, Asparago Verde di Canino IGP and Carciofo Romanesco del Lazio IGP production zones.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J12°
  • F14°
  • M15°
  • A17°
  • M22°
  • J27°
  • J30°
  • A30°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N17°
  • D14°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Tarquinia sits on a plateau above the Maremma plain in northern Lazio, six kilometers inland from the Tyrrhenian coast. The Etruscan city of Tarquinii stood on the adjacent Colle della Civita and was one of the twelve great Etruscan capitals, ringed by eight kilometers of sixth-century walls enclosing 135 hectares. What survives above ground is mostly medieval: the present town moved here in the Middle Ages and was renamed Corneto until 1922, when Mussolini's regime restored the ancient name.

What survives below ground is what made the place a UNESCO site in 2004. The Monterozzi necropolis on the hill east of town holds 6,000 rock-cut tombs from the seventh century BC onward, and around two hundred of them carry painted interiors. The frescoed banquets, dancers, hunters and musicians inside Tarquinia's tombs are the largest body of pre-Roman painting in the Mediterranean. The Palazzo Vitelleschi in the upper town houses the national museum and the Winged Horses terracottas.

The Sunday letter

Tarquinia is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Tarquinia comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Tarquinia in our articles

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 1h 22m by car.

Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 3h 16m away.

By car from the centre of Perugia 2h 26m or Siena 2h 31m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Rome?

Coming by train into Roma Termini? Tarquinia is about 1h 18m away by road.

Every town within reach of Rome airport.

Tarquinia, photo 1
Tarquinia, photo 2

What to see

  • Necropoli dei Monterozzi

    UNESCO Etruscan necropolis on the hill east of the medieval town, 6,000 rock-cut tombs with around 200 painted interiors from the 7th century BC onward.

  • Museo Archeologico Nazionale Tarquiniense

    Housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Vitelleschi, with Etruscan sarcophagi, painted slabs and the famous Cavalli Alati terracottas.

  • Palazzo Vitelleschi

    Early Renaissance palace built between 1436 and 1439 for Cardinal Vitelleschi, blending Gothic and Renaissance elements in a single façade.

  • Chiesa di Santa Maria di Castello

    Romanesque-Lombard church begun in 1121 inside the medieval walls, with a cosmatesque pavement and a marble pulpit signed by Giovanni di Guittone.

  • Civita archaeological area

    Remains of Etruscan Tarquinii on the adjacent plateau, with sections of the 6th-century walls and the Ara della Regina sanctuary.

  • Centro storico medievale

    Medieval upper town fortified with towers and gates, threaded with vaulted alleys and the surviving ceramic workshops that earned the Città della Ceramica title.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Tarquinia fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

Living here

  • Population 15,942
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Rome, 1 h 22 min drive
  • Regional capital Roma, 1 h 17 min drive

Common questions

What is Tarquinia known for?
Tarquinia is an Etruscan capital on a Maremma ridge whose 6,000 rock-cut tombs at Monterozzi hold the largest body of pre-Roman painting in the Mediterranean.
Where is Tarquinia?
Tarquinia is a comune in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, at 133 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Tarquinia?
Rome (FCO), about 1h 22m by car.
Can you get to Tarquinia without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Perugia to Tarquinia?
About 2h 26m by car.
When is the best time to visit Tarquinia?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
Which other towns are like Tarquinia?
Ovada, Vittorio Veneto and San Miniato.
How many people live in Tarquinia?
15,942 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 133 m
  • Population: 15,942
  • Surface area: 279.34 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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