Tarquinia: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 75 - 120 Resort Duomo
 Resort Duomo is in the heart of the medieval town of Tarquinia. Set in a historic, 17th-century building, it offers modernised accommodation with air … MoreEUR 60 - 120 Resort Garibaldi
 Resort Garibaldi is set in historic Tarquinia, 250 metres from the National Museum and the Vitelleschi Palace. The air-conditioned rooms have a flat-s… MoreEUR 80 - 175 Torre Del Sole
 Nestled amid lush greenery, the hotel occupies a privileged position in an area of tranquillity, with panoramic views over the sea; ideal for a relaxi… MoreEUR 75 - 150 Villa Hotel Valle Del Marta Resort
 Villa Hotel Valle del Marta Resort is set just out of Tarquinia´s historic centre, in the River Marta Valley. The gardens have a pool and great … MoreEUR 80 - 170 Podere Del Gesso
 Surrounded by the Lazio countryside, Podere Del Gesso features an outdoor pool and has a bike rental service. The country-style apartments have a full… MoreEUR 80 - 500 Hotel Villa Tirreno
 Set in Tarquinia in the Lazio countryside, Villa Tirreno features a large garden with a swimming pool and terrace where guests can enjoy meals from th… MoreEUR 80 - 120 Camere Del Re
 The Camere Del Re is located in a 19th-century building in the Etruscan town of Tarquinia. It offers free Wi-Fi and spacious, traditionally furnished … MoreEUR 50 - 120 Grand Hotel Helios
 Offering an outdoor pool and a private beach, the design Grand Hotel Helios is in Tarquinia Lido, a 5-minute walk from the sea. Rooms are modern and a… MoreEUR 75 - 140 Hotel San Marco
 Hotel San Marco is set right opposite the National Etruscan Museum in Tarquinia´s old town, in a 16th-century convent. It offers free Wi-Fi acce… MoreEUR 40 - 140 Hotel Tarconte
 Hotel Tarconte is 100 metres from Tarquinia´s old town. You will have great views of the coast and the countryside from the hotel terrace and re… MoreEUR 58 - 135 Agriturismo Podere Giulio
 Agriturismo Podere Giulio is in Tarquinia’s quiet countryside. It offers an outdoor swimming pool and free deck chairs and sun umbrellas to take to … More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tarquinia: Guide
Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy.
History
Tarquinii (Etruscan Tarchnal) is said to have been already a flourishing city when Demaratus of Corinth brought in Greek workmen. It was the chief of the twelve cities of Etruria, and appears in the earliest history of Rome as the home of two of its kings, Tarquinius Priscus and Tarquinius Superbus. From it many of the religious rites and ceremonies of Rome are said to have been derived, and even in imperial times a collegium of sixty haruspices continued to exist there. The people of Tarquinii and Veii attempted to restore Tarquinius Superbus to the throne after his expulsion.
In 358 BCE the citizens of Tarquinii captured and put to death 307 Roman soldiers; the resulting war ended in 351 with a forty years' truce, renewed for a similar period in 308. When Tarquinii came under Roman domination is uncertain, as is also the date at which it became a municipality; in 181 BCE its port, Graviscae (mod. Porto Clementino), in an unhealthy position on the low coast, became a Roman colony. It exported wine and carried on coral fisheries. Nor do we hear much of it in Roman times; it lay on the hills above the coast road. The flax and forests of its extensive territory are mentioned by classical authors, and we find Tarquinii offering to furnish Scipio with sailcloth in 195 BCE. A bishop of Tarquinii is mentioned in 456.
The original site of the Etruscan city of Tarquinia, known as the "Civita", is on the long plateau to the north of the current town. The two coexisted for most of the early middle ages, with Tarquinia dwindling to a small fortified settlement on the "Castellina" location, and the more strategically placed Corneto (possibly the "Corito" mentioned in Roman sources) growing progressively to become the major city of the lower Maremma sea coast, especially after the destruction of the port of Centumcellae (modern Civitavecchia). The last historic references to Tarquinia are from around 1250, while the name of Corneto was changed to Tarquinia in 1934. Reversion to historical place names (not always accurately), was a frequent phenomenon under the Fascist Government of Italy as part of the nationalist campaign to evoke past glories.
Main sights
The Etruscan necropolises, with some 6,000 tombs, 60 of which including wall paintings.
The National Museum, with a large collection of archaeological findings. It is housed in the Renaissance Palazzo Vitelleschi, begun in 1436 and completed around 1480-1490
Church of Santa Maria di Castello (1121-1208), with Lombard and Cosmatesque influences. The façade has a small bell-tower and three entrances. The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by massive pilasters with palaeo-christian capitals and friezes. Noteworthy are also the rose-window in the nave and the several marble works by Roman masters.
The Cathedral, once in Romanesque-Gothic style but rebuilt after the 1643 fire, has mantained from the original edifice the 16th century frescoes in presbitery, by Antonio del Massaro.
Church of San Giacomo and Santissima Annunziata, showing different Arab and Byzantine influences.
The small church of San Martino (12th century).
The church of St. John the Baptist (12th century), with an elegant rose-window in the simple façade.
The Communal Palace, in Romanesque style, begun in the 13th century and restored in the 16th.
The numerous medieval towers, including that of Dante Alighieri.
The Palazzo dei Priori. The façade, remade in Baroque times, has a massive external staircase. The interior has a fresco cycle from 1429.
The Gothic-Romanesque church of San Pancrazio.
Twin towns
- Jaruco, Cuba
- Rabat, Malta|Rabat, Malta
External links
(3 chapters of George Dennis's Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria)
References
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Tarquinia". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.