The painted tombs of the Monterozzi necropolis at Tarquinia

Why it is on the list

The Monterozzi hill runs for about 6 km parallel to the Tyrrhenian coast, and more than six thousand tombs are known in it, most of them chambers cut into the rock under mounds.¹ About 200 are painted, from the 7th century BC to the 2nd, and the park counts them the most important painted necropolis of the Mediterranean.¹ UNESCO inscribed the site with the Banditaccia at Cerveteri in 2004 and calls these paintings the only major testimony of classic art from pre-Roman times in the Mediterranean.² Twenty-two chambers are open: among them the Leopards, the Hunting and Fishing, the Jugglers, the Lionesses, the Warrior and the Blue Demons, with athletes, hunters, dancers, musicians, banquets and underworld demons on their walls.¹

It is the wrong day on a Monday, when the necropolis is closed, and on a day of weather alert, when it may shut without notice.³ For Roman ruins nearer the city, take the excavations of Ostia Antica.

How to get it

Buy the ticket online through Musei Italiani, linked from the park's pages.¹ The site ticket is EUR 13 and covers the necropolis and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Tarquinia for 30 days; the PACT circuit ticket, EUR 21 for four months, adds the necropolis and museum at Cerveteri.³ Under-18s enter free.³

The necropolis opens Tuesday to Sunday at 09.00; until 12 October 2026 it closes at 19.30, last entry 18.30, and from 13 to 24 October at 18.30, last entry 17.30.³ On an unsettled day, ring the necropolis on +39 0766 856308 before setting out.³ Each tomb is reached down a stepped dromos below ground; the paths follow the ancient ground and are uneven, so wear comfortable shoes, and a hat in summer.¹⁴ Free audio guides written by the park's archaeologists cover 28 stops at Tarquinia.⁵

Discretion

No more than five visitors may stand in a tomb at once.⁴ The paintings are seen through glass doors that keep the tombs' temperature and humidity steady.¹ Photographs and video are for private use only; tripods, professional cameras and drones need written permission from the park, requested at pa-certa@cultura.gov.it.⁴