Tarquinia's largest museum is the town itself, comprising its territory and the four towns which rose and evolved over the ages: the Etruscan Tarchna, the Greek, then Roman emporium of Gravisca, the early mediaeval Cencelle and the mediaeval Corneto. Each had its moment of glory and each has left behind its own legacy. The mediaeval and coastal towns have continued to exist up to the present, whereas the other two have become museums in their own right.
First and foremost comes the Etruscan town and its necropolis. Dating back three thousand years, not only was it one of the oldest settlements, but also the pacesetter of Etruscan civilisation, culture and religion. Its artistic output was great. With its two hundred or so painted tombs, the necropolis of Tarquinia was already unique in the Etruscan as well as the ancient world. This resulted from the contribution of Greek artists, perhaps arriving at the emporium of Gravisca, and from the cultural interchange with coeval Attic pottery. Maybe even the pale local limestone, called macco, may have played its part, since it threw the wall paintings beautifully into relief.
Apart from being remarkable artistic achievements, the tomb frescoes are also important because they document myths, traditions, personages and family clans. The works collected in the Etruscan National Museum, seated in Palazzo Vitelleschi, complements them. There, the sarcophagi recount genealogies, events and the roles of entire families (e.g. the Pulena and Camna), as well as handing down their physical traits and preferences. Everyday objects such as pottery, tools, weapons, ornaments, and ex-votos tell us about their lives, work, rituals and the technology the Etruscans made use of.
Their artistic excellence alone suffices to fascinate us. On display in the great hall of the piano nobile are several Greek and Etruscan ceramic masterpieces, among which, a large vase by Nikosthenes (5th century BC) and an amphora by Phintias (late 6th century BC). It might be fun to try to envision these great, almost unknown masters of antiquity at work, travelling back through the ages to their time. They were certainly the Giottos, the Caravaggios, and the Picassos of our time.
Wandering through the Etruscan Museum of Tarquinia, admiring its buccheros and Corinthian and Attic vases, can become quite an experience, whichever thematic itinerary is decided upon. You may choose to follow the evolution of technical performance and vase typology, or vases depicting scenes of everyday life, the divine, athletic games, Greek myths, eroticism, and so forth. On the other hand, you might like to centre your interest on the more ancient exhibits, the so-called Villanovans, or on the later finds belonging to the Etrusco-Roman period. You could focus your attention on the wall paintings stripped from four tombs (Tomb of the Triclinium, Tomb of the Ship, Tomb of the Olimpiad, Tomb of the Chariot), or on the collection of cippi (inscribed stones) and marble tablets, gold ornaments, jewellery and precious stones on show in other rooms. Worthy of note is the anchor with dedication of the very rich Greek shipowner Sostratos, and the Elogia tarquiniensia of the Spurinna family. Enigmatic bucchero female figurines and armour plates also attract interest. Whatever you do, be sure not to miss out on seeing the famous fictile group of winged horses, once decorating the pediment of the grand temple of the Ara della Regina.