By train to the southern-most point of Italy (14)

To the southernmost point of Italy or on the last rail ferry?

I am almost there. One last and easy train ride of 62 km separates me from the southernmost point you can reach by train in Italy: the little town of Pozzallo. From there, a ferry offers a fast connection to the island state of Malta, a very tempting target. But I am running out of time. I decide to take a train from Syracuse via Pozzallo to Gela. From there I can continue through the heart of Sicily back to Messina.

Newer than it looks: the beautiful Fontana di Diana in Syracuse was inaugurated in 1907  

Unfortunately the train connections in this part of the world are very erratic. There are no trains from Caltanisetta in the center of Sicily to Palermo in the north or to the south coast at Agrigento. The only possibility to explore the interior of Sicily by train is to go to Gela, from there to Caltanisetta and then back to the coast in Catania. The schedule seems to change daily. Every Sunday there are two-hourly trains to Pozzallo which continue to Modica, but no trains to Gela. On Monday there are only a few train connections, but three direct trains to Gela, a ride of 3 hours and 23 minutes. Only the one at 11.11 is at a convenient time. I will arrive in the afternoon, check into a hotel, take in the sights and continue the next day.

Reminder of the Roman legacy of Syracuse: Amfiteatro in the archeological park 

I have to leave the B&B, where I stayed for the last three nights, by ten and there is no way to leave my luggage. The station is around the corner and I arrive there more than an hour early. Two trains are waiting at the platforms, an IC train ready to depart for Rome and a recently arrived IC Notte. Even in the morning the heat is oppressive and the air-conditioning of the trains are running under considerable noise. The station is under reconstruction into a sterile transit terminal. The platforms have been raised, everything deemed to be unnecessary has been removed.

View of the Mediterranean and the Calabrian Coast from the fortress built by the medieval Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa 

There are not many trains leaving from Syracuse. Therefore the display shows most of what they have on offer for the rest of the day. But there is no train to Gela at 11.11. The ticket counter is closed. The ticket machine on the platform doesn’t show this train either.

The station of Syracusa with an IC Notte und a Hitachi HTR 412 IC in the background

One advantage of Italian railways is that there is always plenty of staff. A helpful employee asks me where I want to go. She tells me that the train to Gela is canceled. There is only one direct train today, in the afternoon, or a connection via Catania including multiple changes where I might miss the connection. However, the direct train she refers to is not even in the schedule on the machine and the information panel. She doesn’t know about a replacement bus and sends me to the kiosk in the station building for more information. The guy behind the counter tells me that the only bus has left at 9.

The impressive station building

It does not make a lot of sense to take the late train to Gela. After arrival, there wouldn’t be any time left for sightseeing and in the morning I would have to leave early. I am a bit fed up with the erratic rail service in Sicily. I go back to the ticket machine to check whether there is still space on the IC to Rome. However, I am not able to make a reservation for an interrail ticket holder. Neither in the app on my phone.

HTR 412  

The train to Rome is an HTR 412 unit. The number 4 stands for the four carriages of the train, H for Hybrid. These trains were originally introduced in 2020. It is a multi-modal traction EMU which can use 3 kV overhead electric line, batteries or diesel engines. 26 four-car HTR 412 trains were procured for Intercity services. For the connection between Syracuse and Rome, the train can use its batteries to board the ferry in Messina for the transfer to the mainland. Later, it turns out that this is the very first day this train is used for this service. Instead of getting stuck somewhere in Sicily or waiting for replacement busses I could rather take this smart train and use the last railway ferry in Europe. A pity that I already have reserved the hotel in Gela. It is too late to cancel and I would loose the money.

Shipwrecks in the bay of Augusta 

There are only a couple of minutes left for the departure of IC 724 to Rome at 10.19. As holder of an interrail ticket I have to get a reservation for this train. I ask the friendly employee whether she could get the reservation for me from the ticket machine. Unfortunately she does not know how to do it either. Instead she goes to the train staff and asks something I don’t understand, but I guess whether they can sell me the reservation on the train. Since this doesn’t work either, she proposes to buy a regular ticket for me from the machine. Trains are cheap in Italy. The trip sets me back 23.50 € but the reservation also costs a fee and I save an interrail travel day. I am just able to find my seat and the train departs.

The vast refinery complex between Augusta and Syracusa

My seat is facing away from the sea and I share a table with two boring teenage tourists who stare in their phones. Furthermore, I ride with my back to the direction of travel which is bad for spotting interesting spots along the line. Fortunately the mother of the teenagers, who does not have a window at all, starts a discussion with her brood to swap seats. The daughter gives in and so I get an entertaining travel companion. The four of them – the father is not in a talking mood – are from Adelaide. They use the opportunity of the end of their daughter’s exchange year in the UK after a study of design for a trip home from London via Sicily, Rome and Cairo. Before they leave the train in Catania I know a big part of her life. Her father originally came from Lithuania, was saved by the Americans in Berlin in 1945 and sent to a camp in the German town of Würzburg for three years until he was able to go to Australia and get a degree as an engineer. When she was young they took to the sea with a little 6 m sailing boat her father had built himself. This raised her love of traveling. With a friend she went to various countries in Africa when she was young. Meanwhile she works with aborigines to help them make good use of their land. Although the aborigines don’t own the land they live on, they have a right of use. Unfortunately the native fauna and flora suffers big damage from introduced species. While we pass the industrial wasteland of Augusta she proudly explains that South Australia now generates enough wind and solar energy to meet its needs. A gas-fired power plant is available as a backup.

Smoke from Etna... business as usual

Meanwhile we are in plain view of the Etna volcano. It produces such an impressive column of smoke that even the Australian teenage son is inspired to look up from his phone and out of the window. The Australian family leaves the train in Taormina. The mother is glad that they will move into a nice apartment with a pool. In this heat, that's certainly not an unnecessary luxury.

Station of Taormina

It is astounding how popular a destination for tourists Sicily is nowadays. When we were here in 1984 there was nobody. The Australians give way for two couples from Viña del mar in Chile. They will have to stay on this train for another 10 hours until Rome, where they will board their flight home.

Entry bay of the rail ferry

In Messina, both the train from Syracuse and the identical unit from Palermo have to board the ferry to San Giovanni. The crossing of roughly 7 km across the strait of Messina only takes about 20 minutes. However, one and a half hour pass between the scheduled departures in Messina and in Villa San Giovanni since it takes some time to load and unload the train on the ferry. It is therefore not surprising that there are plans to build a bridge to link the island to the mainland.

View of Messina and another ferry of the FS

Already the Romans dreamed about building a bridge between the mainland and Sicily. It was to be constructed by boats connected by planks. However, the bridge never was realized. Numerous other proposals followed. The first detailed plan for a modern suspension bridge was made in the 1990ies. The motivation was for providing a road connection, the additional railway track was necessary for obtaining subsidies from the EU in the framework of a transeuropean highspeed rail network. A 3.6 km suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina between Torre Faro on Sicily and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria on the Italian mainland was proposed. If built, it would be the longest suspension bridge in the world and part of the Berlin–Palermo railway axis of the Trans-European Transport Networks.

View of the conventional ferry terminal in Messina

There are a lot of concerns and protests against a bridge of such a size in an area known for earthquakes and strong currents in the strait. The bridge supposedly interferes with bird migration routes. And of course there always is the possibility of involvement of Cosa Nostra and 'Ndrangheta infiltration into the bridge's construction.

Embarkation pier for the train

The project was canceled in 2006 under Prime Minister Romano Prodi but revived in 2009 under Silvio Berlusconi. In 2013 under Mario Monti it was cancelled again. Giorgia Meloni resurrected the plans again in 2023 and received final government approval in August 2025, allowing construction on the bridge to commence. The bridge was counted as a defence-related expense inside a NATO spending pot. The United States government said it disapproved of the strategy, calling it "creative accounting". In October 2025, Italy's Court of Audit rejected the proposal.

Two of the embarkation piers and the embarkation building which is not used

In February 2026, Matteo Salvini, minister for infrastructure, said a government decree would keep the project's cost set at €13.5 billion, and he repeated that work should begin in 2026. However, he did not say who would pay the bills when the costs would be higher than what was decreed and he did not commit to further deadlines. In August 2026 the works have to yet started.

HTR 412 train in the hold of the ferry

So for the time being there is no realistic end date for the train ferry service across the strait. However, the uncertainty about the bridge construction invariably casts a shadow on the investment plans of the Italian railways for this area. A new ferry boat is an investment which only pays back after many years. But also investments in the rail infrastructure in the ferry ports and the adjoining stations Messina and Villa San Giovanni have to be linked to the plans about building a bridge. San Giovanni probably would loose its importance as a big station entirely since the high speed trains would not pass through there any more.

The trains in the ferry and the landing bridge for cars 

It takes some time until our train gets its chance to hop on the ferry. When Tim Parks did the same trip years ago on one of the conventional trains the air condition was switched off between Messina and Villa San Giovanni, probably because there was no engine to power it. The interior of his coach was boiling. This situation belongs to the past since today. Although the process of boarding is still slow, the smart hybrid train can still power the air conditioning during the shunting.

Rubbish around a disused embarkation track

The ferry terminal in Messina gives a desolate impression. Of the numerous tracks leading to the embarkation bridges only one seems to be still in operation. The others end under piles of rubbish and building material. While there seem to be several rail ferries in the berths next to ours the faculties to board there seem to be out of use. Are they deconstructing or reconstructing here?

The disused embarkation pier

After the trains have been securely fastened on the ship we are allowed to explore the ferry. The Chilean couple volunteers to watch my luggage, we are in Sicily after all. Most of our fellow passengers wander straight to the cafeteria to use the short trajectory for getting coffee. Very few of them dare to venture beyond the doors with a sign “keep closed during crossing”. They give access to the outside platform above both ends of the boat. From there I have a perfect view of the boarding piers, the other ferries moored here and the port.

Old rail ferry

Besides our ferry there seem to be at least four others with the symbol of the italian railways FS, The one next to us, the Trinacria, is rusty and in a different color scheme. The free railroad map shows five invasoturos, boarding berths, three with rail bridges for trains. However, at least the one leading to the rusty ferry is paved over. There is no sign that freight trains are still handled here. Neither is there any access to passengers on foot via the long boarding bridges. Between shacks and all the columns supporting these bridges piles of building material and rubbish await the implementation of a plan.

Statue of the madonna at the entrance to the proper port of Messina

The statue of the Madonna on its column at the end of the flood wall marks our final departure from Sicily. On the base the inscription “vos et ipsam civitatem benedictimus” (We bless you and the city itself) in huge white letters. On the other side a view to the coast makes clear how far the station and the railway ferry terminal are removed from the passenger and car ferry I have taken some days ago. The city of Messina stretches extensively along the coast.

The two HTR 412 trains in the hold of the ferry. There are two more tracks

Meanwhile the trains wait in the bowels for debarkation. Only one end of the ferry has a track for boarding of trains. The other end has the ordinary boarding platform for cars or pedestrians. After arrival in Villa San Giovanni, the trains slowly leave the boat. It takes quite some time of a jerky procedure with tortured wheels whining on rusty rails while the train inches towards a marshaling yard in a crawl. Many people have got up already, luggage at hand, in expectation of getting off in Villa San Giovanni. However, first, the two EMU units are combined in the shunting yard before the trains slowly move into the station of San Giovanni.

The station of Villa San Giovanni

In Villa San Giovanni I have to get another ticket for the short ride to Reggio di Calabria. Fortunately I have more than one hour to move to the narrow passage in the station building where they sell the tickets. I even have time to assist a couple of disoriented Argentinians, who are looking for a later connection to Tropea after they missed their train due to our slow shunting process. I ask myself why somebody from Argentina wants to spend time in Tropea, of all places. But maybe they just want to get away from their miserable government. There monologue complaining about their president and the situation at home carries on until I leave for the ticket counter to buy a ticket to Reggio de Calabria for 2.30 €.

Old Aln 663 train ready for departure

In the station of Reggio de Calabria a nice Aln 663, an old fashioned rail car, waits at the platform to continue on the line along the coast. I would love to take it, hair blowing in the wind of the open windows, but again I have reserved a hotel. The heat is unbearable and after I have checked into my room I first need some time of recovery before I start to explore the town.

The pedestrian zone of Reggio di Calabria

I did not expect a lot in Reggio de Calabria. However, when I finally venture into the center it turns out to be a pleasant, quiet town. The streets are full of pedestrians enjoying the beginning evening breeze. In the extensive pedestrian zone I find an ice-cream parlor but the ice-cream melts away faster than I can lick on it.

Vittoria towers above the beach of Reggio

Reggio de Calabria suffered a lot from earthquakes. Really big ones were in 1783, 1908 and 1923. In 1908 a quarter of the inhabitants lost their lives. Many died when they were surprised by a tsunami after they had fled from the earthquake to the open space of the ocean front. More damage was done since its strategic position close to the strait of Messina attracted air raids in the second world war.

The cathedral of Reggio de Calabria

Also the cathedral suffered damage from the earthquakes. It was rebuilt and the interior, full of light and colorful, is inviting. Even today, a Monday, it houses a wedding. Above the cathedral are the remains of an Aragonese castle. The oldest parts of it were demolished during the darkest moments of the cities recent history.

Interior of the cathedral

In the second half of the 20th century corruption scandals shook the city. The 'Ndrangheta had infiltrated the city council. Urban decay, lack of industrial planning and organized crime dominated the town. The 'Ndrangheta extorted protection money (pizzo) from virtual each business and had more power than the city council in awarding licences to retailers. Since the 1990s, the so-called "Primavera di Reggio", a protest movement of people and government institutions, turned the tide. The left-wing mayor Italo Falcomatà initiated the recovery of the town. Symbolic hereof is the Lungomare Falcomatà, the sea-side boulevard. In fact it is one of the nicest I know of any town in Italy. The boulevard is dotted with rare magnolias, exotic palms and other enormous trees. Beach pavilions invite to have a drink or dinner accompanied by a sunset above the Etna volcano across the strait.

The Aragonese fortress of Reggio

The beach promenade also includes an old-fashioned playground. Further-on some fishing boats rest on the beach while men in their bathing trunks try their luck with a rod and line. Here the nice part of the promenade comes to an end. The area gives an impression of the times when most of the town looked decrepit. At the horizon Etna still ejects a cloud of smoke as a permanent warning that more dangers might be waiting in the future.

The beach promenade

Sources:

Tim Parks, Italian ways, Ranadom House, Vintage, 2013

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Messina_Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Calabria

Statue of Athena Promachus on the beach in Reggio dedicated to the Italian king Vittorio Emmanuele III

Link to the following post:

The strait of Messina and Etna from the beach in Reggio di Calabria

By train to the southern-most point of Italy (2)

The Etruscan heritage

Before the Romans consolidated their rule over the whole of Italy the Etruscans controlled Corsica and big parts of Northern Italy between the Po river plain and Campania in the South. The Etruscan civilization was a federation of city states called Etruria with a common language and religion. In 500 BC, when the Roman kingdom became a republic, Rome was at the southern edge of the Etruscan territory which covered approximately the present regions of Tuscany and Umbria and the northern part of Lazio.

Decoration on Etruscan pottery based on Greek models

Legend has it that in the period between 600 BC and 500 BC an alliance formed among 12 Etruscan settlements, known today as the Etruscan League or Dodecapolis. These cities were Arretium (Arezzo), Caisra (Cerveteri), Clevsin (Chiusi), Curtun (Cortona), Perusna (Perugia), Pupluna (Populonia Alta/Piombino), Veii, Tarchna (Tarquinia), Vetluna, Volterra, Velzna (Bolsena), and Velch (Vulci).

Etruscan pottery

The Etruscans exploited the mineral and agricultural wealth of their territory. Copper and iron ore was mined and tools and weapons produced from the metal. Trade with the Celts in the north and the Greeks in the south made elite Etruscan families very rich. Large family tombs were filled with luxuries. One of the important Etruscan cities was Tarquinia. Today the town in home to a big and well preserved necropolis and one of the best archaeological musea with Etruscan artifacts. Going there from Genoa by train also follows the coast controlled by the Etruscans in the preroman times.

Genoa Piazza Principe

Unfortunately the station of Tarquinia is 3 km from the center of the old city. Google shows that there are a couple of busses which should link the town, the station and the beach. However, the service seems to be irregular and therefore I decide to book a reservation for an intercity to arrive in time. On its way to Roma Termini IC 505 takes this route between Genoa and Grosseto. In Grosseto there is plenty of time to catch a connecting train which stops at Tarquinia. Unfortunately, the day before departure the reservation tool only allows me to make a reservation after Sestri Levante. I will have to take a local train first and then change to the intercity there. By using the Intercity for part of the way I am in Tarquinia several hours earlier and avoid a couple of additional changes.

Typical suburban train in Genoa

Since the local train leaves Genoa at 8.14 and breakfast in the hotel starts at 8 I thought of buying a coffee and snack in the station before departure. However, when I come down to the reception at 7.30 to hand in my key the friendly guy tells me that I can have breakfast right now. I hardly have time to sit down before he appears with two hard boiled eggs and a cappuccino.

The Ligurian coast between Genoa and Sestri Levante

In the station the departure of train 4131 to Sestri Levante is announced for track 13. I install myself on the platform and wait for the train while more and more other passengers arrive. Then happens what will turn out to be a routine exercise imposed by the FS on their passengers: the departure track is changed a few minutes before the actual departure. Here it is changed to track 14, which means that everybody has to use the underpass to go to the new platform. Time is too short to wait for the elevator, so I heave my heavy bag down the stairs and up again for track 14, where I arrive just with the incoming train.

Well maintained station of Recco

Covered in sweat I take a seat in the upper compartment of the double-deck train. In the old trains the distribution of the corresponded to the windows. Every bench therefore had a window. And, of course it could be opened. In the modern trains the grouping of the seats does not correspond to the windows any more. In a full train you have the chance to end up in a seat where you only see the wall. And if you have a window it usually is filthy. Most of the people don’t mind since they prefer to look at a screen anyway.

Local train in the station of Sestri Levante

Like most of the local trains this one is rather empty and I can select a perfect spot for sight-seeing, a relatively clean window with sea-side view. Although Genoa is an industrial center and big sea port the suburbs offer charming resorts and a scenic, mountainous coast line with little coves and beautiful beaches. However, the view is a bit affected by my apprehension to miss the connection. The layover time in Sestri Levante is only 10 minutes and we are running late. No explanation is given but the reason seems to be that the train is diverted to the other track to let a faster freight train pass. I am wary that the next train passing on the other track will be the IC.

Local train to La Specia in Sestri Levante

In Sestri Levante we stop at a dead end track far out at the northern end of the platforms. The whole train full of beach goers empties onto the platform and the mass moves forward with unnerving slowness. Of course my preoccupation is unnecessary. When I arrive at the timetable display a delay of 15 minutes is announced for IC 505.

Local train to La Specia in Sestri Levante

One of the positive aspects of train travel in Italy is the presence of helpful staff in almost each station, also in Sestri Levante. A woman asks me where I want to go and sends me to track 3 for the delayed departure of IC 505. The track is not announced on the display yet. I hope that for once she is right …

Waiting for IC 505

Another bonus of Italian stations is that most have a toilet. They are usually open and for free. The reason might be that many a station and all of the bigger ones have a cafe where you can spend the waiting hours and have an espresso, snacks or a drink.

IC 505 entering Sestri Levante

Then I proceed to track 3. There is an elevator on track 1, but not on track 3. Again I realize how uncomfortable a roller case is. But at least this time the train arrives on the announced track. My seat, after I eventually find it, is in the almost empty first carriage. The rest of the train is almost full.

The Ligurian coast seen from a dirty train window

Unfortunately on this train I don’t have a window seat and no seaside view. Therefore, between all those tunnels I only get a very vague glimpse of the pittoreque villages of Cinque Terre. In La Spezia I am joined by an American couple from Colorado. They had been in Cinque Terre and now continue to Civitavecchia, where they join a cruise to Portugal for a week. In Massa Maritima we get another travel companion, an Englishman. He is a veterinarian, working in London but living in the Algarve in Portugal. The cheap flights make it possible that he can go there every weekend.

La Spezia Centrale

We have an entertaining trip together. After they have set their phones on airplane mode the Americans also dare to comment about the political situation. They are afraid that the phones record conversations which are then searched by keywords for critical content.

Arrival in Grosseto

I don’t care that we arrive in Grosseto slightly delayed…. I have to wait there for more than an hour for the connecting train anyway. When the locale bound for Roma termini finally arrives I am joined by a nervous guy who clearly is not used to riding a train. In short intervals he keeps asking whether this train is bound for Montalto de Casto, one stop before Tarquinia, and how far we still have to go. When he finally leaves he extends his hand and thanks profusely. I think he is from northern Africa.

The station of Grosseto

Meanwhile I have called the hotel and asked whether they can pick me up at the station. However, they recommend to take the bus. There is a bus stop right at the exit of the well-kept station building and somebody is waiting there. He confirms that a bus should arrive in 5 minutes and cost us 1 €. The bus driver also is helpful, asks for the name of my hotel and warns me when to get off.

RV Regionale Veloce from Pisa to Rome arriving in Grosseto

After the early arrival there is plenty of time to visit the remains of the necropole in Tarquinia. The Necropole is past the old center on the on a mountain top. The hotel is at its base. But I am lucky. Just after I have left the hotel and pass the bus stop a microbus arrives. I give him my last Euro and can avoid walking up to the center of town. From there it is another long walk to the entrance of the Necopole to the east. The signs for walking in Tarquinia not only give the time needed to come to the destination but also the calories spent. I think that both time (10 min) and calories (61 cal) is far underestimatimg this walk along the outskirts of the otherwise pretty town.

The old town of Tarquinia

The Etruscans used to build their towns on hills, the steeper the slopes the better. The antecedent of Tarquinia was not on the site of the present town but on the neighboring hilltop inland. Excavations have produced few relics of the ancient town itself. The remains of the foundations of an Etruscan temple, ara de regina, have been excavated. The Necropolis had been built on the next hill which now is occupied by the medieval town of Tarquinia.

The Necropole de Monterozzi

From the 9th – 2th century BC subterranean tombs were built from blocks of rock or carved from the rock. Tombs usually had one or several chambers connected to the outside world by a passageway. Frequently one or several of the graves were covered under a conical mound called tumulus. To facilitate fieldwork the farmers leveled the mounds. Originally the necropole de Monterozzi contained some 2000, maybe 7000 graves. It is a miracle that of these 200 have survived and are still accessible and 100 still have some of their colorful decorations. Most excavations were carried out in the 1960ies. Since the tumuli were completely gone the entrances had to be protected with a little contemporary entrance building.

The urns from fire burial found in shaft graves

In the 8th - 6th century BC when fire burial was still practiced urns were kept in shaft graves. For Later the tombs contained sarcophagi usually with the image of the deceased on the lid. They were deposited on rock-carved benches or against the walls. Probably all kinds of donations like painted ceramics, bronze mirrors, gold jewelry, and weapons were left in the graves, meant to accompany the dead into the afterlife. The rich Etruscan aristocracy was able to import these luxury items from Greek and other eastern civilizations.

The original design of the tumuli

However, many of the graves were sacked by robbers a long time ago. Since they did not know where the passageways of the entrance were they dug tunnels and broke through the walls to get in. As a result the fresco decoration of the wall was destroyed. Most of the gifts in the graves were gone when the excavations started. Some of the sites were vandalized as late as after the second world war. One fresco in a chamber lost the head of the image of a girl in the 1960. The painted piece of plaster was later found back in a German museum.

Tomb of the juggler 510 BC

I have picked a good day and time. There are few other visitors. Access to the graves still involves stumbling down narrow corridors. To protect the paintings not only from vandalism, but also from greasy hands and the influence of moisture from breath all the sites are protected with thick glass doors. It takes me a while to figure out that you have to find and press a button to get the interior illuminated for a short period. But even standing in front of the glass is quite uncomfortable since there is little space and the steps in front of the glass are uneven. In popular weekend days with big crowds from tour buses it involves a long waiting time until it is your turn to stand at the glass and press the button.

Tomb of the maiden 420-400 BC

Only the rich aristocratic class could afford the luxury of dwellings for the Afterlife and their lavish decoration. The painted tombs of the necropolis not only represent the state of Etruscan pictorial art but they also allow to assess the development of Etruscans' quotidian life, ceremonies, and mythology at the time. The architecture of the graves is seen as a model for the houses the Etruscans lived in. In contrast to for example later christian painting there is no sign of grief in the decoration of the graves. In fact, the Etruscans were quite frivolous. Scenes in the frescoes include orgiastic dances, coital scenes and naked servants. Later the Romans were much more prudish in their depictions, and even more so, of course, the Christians.

Tomb of the hunter 510-500 BC

The oldest tombs of the late 7th to mid-6th centuries B.C. have a single rectangular room with a double-sloping ceiling intended only for the marital couple (pater and mater familias). Color first only emphasized the architectural elements, after 530 BC figurative decoration gradually appears with animals in heraldic patterns on the pediments of the court walls, later extended to all walls with scenes of hunts, dances, banquets, and games.

Bartoccini tomb 530-520 BC

Many of the tombs of the Orientalizing and Archaic periods, such as the tomb of the Leopards were painted by Greek painters or at least foreign artists. These images therefore have a very limited value for a realistic representation of the Etruscan population

Tomb of the little flowers 450 BC

During the 5th century BC an socio-economic crisis in Etruria effected the tombs in Tarquinia. The stylistic quality declined and the motifs limited to banquet scenes. A new concept of death appeared. Afterlife became populated by monstrous demons and characters from Greek mythology. During a revival in the 4th century the rooms assume grandiose dimensions with pillars supporting the flat ceiling and the burial chamber accommodate the entire noble clan; the scenes now take place only in the Underworld in the presence of death demons. With the appearance of the Romans between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC the number of painted tombs drastically decreased and only a few examples were found.

Tomb of the charuns 250-275 BC

The tomb of the lioness from 520 BC consists of a single chamber with a ceiling with double slope which is accessed through a stepped corridor (dromos). The ceiling is decorated with a checkerboard pattern and the walls are punctuated with six columns, so as to give the interior the character of a pavilion. On the pediment of the back wall there are two spotted lionesses facing each other who give the tomb its name. Other scenes show dolphins are depicted diving and aquatic birds. The

scene culminates in the representation of the large central crater (for mixing wine and water) around which a lively dance takes place.

The tomb of hunting and fishing

The tomb of hunting and fishing has two rooms in line, with a double-sloping ceiling and stepped access corridor (dromos). In the pediment at the bottom of the first chamber shows a scene of returning from hunting with horsemen accompanied by servants; in the entrance pediment, a banquet scene; on the walls, in a grove of laurels with bandages and crowns, an orgiastic dance (komos). In the pediment of the second burial chamber a pair at a banquet is surrounded by servants. The walls show hunting and fishing scenes and a naked young man diving into the sea from a large cliff, a metaphor for the passage from life to death. This grave, dating from 520 - 510 BC, was discovered 1873.

The tomb of the Bacchae

The tomb of the Bacchae is a small chamber tomb with a double-sloping roof accessed by a short, stepped corridor. The ceiling is painted with rosettes, ivy leaves and small flowers. On the gable of the back wall there are two groups of fighting animals. The frieze depicts a scene of orgiastic dancing connected to Dionysus, possibly including the tomb's patron and his wife holding wine cups. The decoration probably was painted by immigrant Eastern-Greek artists in 510-500 BC.

The tomb of the leopards

The tomb of the leopards discovered in 1875 consists of a single chamber with a double slope ceiling roof which is accessed through a stepped corridor (dromos). It was built in 470 BC. The ceiling is decorated in a checkerboard pattern on the slopes and concentric circles on the central beam (columen). The paintings is of modest quality with disproportioned characters with rigid movements. On the back pediment, on either side of a small tree, the two leopards that give the tomb its name face each other. On the back wall there is a scene of a symposium in which men and women take part, stretched out on convivial beds (klinai) and served by young naked servants. A procession of musicians, painted on the right wall, and servants with pottery on the left wall converge towards this scene.

The tomb of the blue demons

The tomb of the blue demons has a long and deep entrance corridor (dromos) that leads to a single room with a rectangular, flat floor and gable ceiling with a relief central roof beam (columen). On the floor, in the left front corner, there is a large shaft. The painted decoration is not well preserved. The owner of the tomb is depicted on a chariot with two horses, together with dancers and musicians. In front of the procession is a table with plates and cups (kylikeion), while on the front wall there are four couples (mainly men) laying and banqueting on beds. The central couple likely represent the founder of the tomb and his wife. The scene on the right wall is the most remarkable. It represents the afterlife with the figure of Charon (guardian of the afterlife), who on a reddish boat maneuvered with a long oar is ferrying souls on the Acheron River. A covered woman and a young boy just arrived are greeted by an ancestor woman, which is grabbed on the left by a blue and on the right by a winged brownish demon. The tomb built in 420 - 410 BC and discovered in as late as 1985 belongs to the period of passage between the archaic ideology of death linked to the symposium on the left and the classical interpretation with the idea of an underworld full of infernal demons on the right painted for the first time here.

The tomb of two roofs 

The tomb of two roofs built in 250-200 BC is an example of a late tomb. In 1969 the discoverers found a chamber with a flat ceiling, a central pillar and benches along the walls with excavated burial pits. The painted decoration is limited to the central pillar and the right wall. The column portrays a large winged Charun (guardian of the afterlife) with snake-like hair and holding a hammer. On the right wall a miniaturistic frieze represents a farewell scene relating to the deceased buried in the pit below, and is preceded by a boy and accompanied by Vanth, a female demon of death, who lights up the dark path to the afterlife with her torch. The dead man arrives in front of the door of Hades guarded by Charun sitting on a rock, where the already deceased family members welcome the deceased.

The Charun

The site of the necropolis offers a sweeping view of the surrounding countryside. The rolling hills of Tuscany and Lazio are dotted with isolated old-fashioned farms. Only few trees are left on the barren slopes. In the valley below the hill remain the ruins of a half abandoned olive oil factory. For once it is quiet here. No sounds from combustion engines or mobile phones, only the rustling of grass and leaves in the wind and the chirping of birds.

The rolling hills around Tarquinia with an olive oil factory in the valley

The Etruscan graves date from the 7th to 3th century BC. It is not exactly clear when the Etruscan rule in Tarquinia was replaced by the Romans. From the first half of the 5th century BC, the new political situation meant the beginning of the Etruscan decline when their southern provinces were lost. Beginning in the late 4th century BC, during the Roman–Etruscan Wars, the Etruscans succumbed to the expanding Romans. Etruscans were granted Roman citizenship in 90 BC, and by 27 BC the whole Etruscan territory was incorporated into the newly established Roman Empire. Probably for strategic reasons, the original site of Tarquinia was slowly abandoned and finally completely given up around 1300 AD. It was replaced by the rise of the current medieval town named Corneto in a more favorable location.

Countryside around Tarquinia

Corneto became an independent city-state in 1144, forming alliances with Genoa, Pisa, and Venice. In 1355, the Pope installed Egidio Albornoz as ruler, who incorporated the city into the Papal States. After that it remained a politically insignificant provincial town.

Procession in the town square of Tarquinia

When I come back into the old town center I hear the sound of a brass band. In a procession an image of the virgin is carried down the streets to the central market square, followed by priests, the honorariums of the town, a blend of residents of all ages and the watchful eyes of the different police organs. At the market place a couple of speeches are held which give the listeners the opportunity to consult their mobile phones.

Towers and ...

...arches of Tarquinia

I immediately have a liking for Tarquinia. Its walled old town is virtually untouched by modernization. Tower houses rise above the medieval buildings. Arches bridge the narrow alleys and old gates give access to the interior of the mansions and decorated gardens. There are plenty of good restaurants, a popular ice cream parlor and in the evening the residents meet for a chat on the squares or on the benches in the parks along the ramparts which offer a wide view of the surrounding countryside.

City gate

The old town is a restricted zone limited to pedestrians. There is still a lot of traffic of the locals and as always there is a madman on a motorcycle who has to ride his rounds with a deafening noise to proof to everybody that even this place has its proper idiot.

Some of the many towers

The old town of Tarquinia still is surrounded with most of its medieval city wall including many of the gates. At the porta de Castello a young, friendly but and bored chap sells entrance tickets. Visitors can climb up to the city wall, cross above the gate and look down onto the city from the torrione Matilda de Canossa. There are no other visitors.

Porta de Castello

Outside the walls is the church of Santa Maria de Castello, a roman church made beautiful by its simplicity. Unfortunately it is only open on Sundays between 10 and 13 o'clock. Next to it another gate after which the narrow, winding road disappears in the quiet, empty countryside below.

Santa Maria de Castello

At the porta della Maddalena an old woman talks to me. It turns out that we can use French as a common language. She asks whether I have noticed the hinges at the gate. She recommends to visit the church and cloister of the Monastero S. Lucia Benedettine. Again, unfortunately, it is closed. Most visitors to Tarquinia come in the weekends and only then many sights are open.

Palazzo Vitelleschi

At the entrance of the medieval town is Palazzo Vitelleschi. It was built between 1436 and 1439 during Eugene IV's pontificate for Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi in the Catalan Gothic style, with Renaissance additions. The cardinal was more a military commander than a priest. He didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy his new residence. He was murdered in Rome in 1440. Later the palace was used by the popes as stopover accommodation when they traveled across their state.

Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi

The palace houses the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Tarquinia which contains numerous Etruscan artifacts, many from excavations in Tarquinia. For a long time I am obliged to follow a school class of French teenagers who try hard to show some interest in the detailed monologue of a guide. For their age they behave well and I get a bit of background information for the exhibits.

Inside Palazzo Vitelleschi

Most remarkable exhibit of the museum are the "Tarquinia Winged Horses". The terracotta sculpture is a fragment of the colonnade that supported the pediment of the temple Ara della Regina found at the excavations of the ancient Etruscan site of the town. Again it is astounding that a terracotta sculpture of the 4 century BC has survived in the ground for such a long time in such a brilliant state.

Tarquinia Winged Horses

The museum also has a great collection of the sarcophagi which originally held the remains in the tombs of the necropole. The abundance of different exhibits shows the development of the decorations on the sarcophagi and the lids which usually were decorated with a representation of the deceased.

Decoration of an Etruscan sarcophage

The museum also shows the development of the terracotta pottery and the incredible variety of shapes. The oldest pieces date back to the 10. century BC. Pottery originally came from Greece and the Greek colonies in southern Italy.

Terracotta pottery 

The museum also shows some exhibits with letters in Etruscan writing. The earliest known examples are inscriptions found in southern Etruria that date to around 700 BC. The Etruscan system of writing derived from the Euboean alphabet, which was used in the Magna Graecia coastal areas in Southern Italy. It is one of the world’s forgotten writings, caused by the scarcity of preserved texts. The language remains only partly understood. Therefore the knowledge of Etruscan society and culture is heavily dependent on much later and generally disapproving Roman and Greek sources.

Etruscan writing

Among the numerous little exhibits is also what is left of what must have been the world’s first parasol, the skeleton of ribs which must have been covered with hide or fabric.

Etruscan umbrella

Many Italian towns have a stark contrast between the beauty of their medieval town centers, which from their prominent positions on a hill look down haughtily on the newly built and incredibly awful suburbs. This is not different in Tarquinia. It shares the ugliness of the modern housing developments, consumer and builder’s markets with huge parking lots, dirty green spaces, hideous architecture without a common style and the lack of a consistent city planning. Main attraction is a graffiti covered fighter jet displayed in one of the neglected parks. What a decline for a nation which has such a legacy in arts, culture and history.

Suburban Tarquinia

My hotel is a pleasant island in the middle of this ugliness. It contributes to the mess by an addition located in a modern apartment block which rises over the surrounding of faceless little businesses, bleak concrete yards and urban wasteland. However, the staff is very friendly and helpful, they have a good restaurant playing music loud enough to make any conversation unnecessary and the breakfast served for an additional 5 € is a real deal. There, for the first time I learn about the existence of a guillotine for eggs, a little device designed to be put on the top of a boiled egg to open it by breaking the shell in a neat line around the perimeter.

Guillotine for boiled eggs

The other rarity is an inclined plate on which an entire honeycomb rests. The honey slowly oozes out and collects underneath in a receptacle.

Honey separator

The breakfast room is beleaguered by an American group who have stayed here tonight in expectancy for their boarding of a cruise in Civitavecchia today. There is a young mother and teenage father with little baby, archetypal baseball cap and shorts. A lady from Alaska asks me whether the color of the juices tells anything about their taste.

Playground in suburban Tarquinia

The only other guests are a french couple, he busy on his laptop, and a couple of German woman reading a newspaper. Their faces clearly show their displeasure at not being alone here.

Belfries and towers of Tarquinia

The narrow alleys of Tarquinia

The Americans neither have visited the necropolis nor did they have time for a walk to the old town above. Together with an amazing amount of luggage they board a little transfer bus to the cruise port in Civitavecchia the hotel provides for these purposes. Unfortunately they don’t offer any transfer to the station. It is close enough to take the bus. The friendly person at the reception looks for the schedule, which is neither published on Google nor at the stop.

Passages and gates...

... in the narrow alleys of old town Tarquinia

So I proceed to the bus stop with my luggage. As usual it the most gloomy spot in town. There is no information, no shelter and no seat. Traffic rushes by without goal, some seem to pass several times while I wait for my bus to the station. A girl cycles up the hill on a mountain bike disseminating loud music from a speaker. After a couple of minutes she comes back down again.

The beauty of a bus stop

An old man waits next to me at the stop. A car stops in the middle of the road, the window opens, they have a little chat. Others wait patiently behind until they are finished. Then there indeed my bus arrives.

Freight passing through Tarquinia 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterozzi_necropolis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarquinia

Information panels, Necropolis of Monterozzi

Abandoned freight yard in Tarquinia station

Link to the next post:

Train to Rome pulling into Tarquinia station