Cerveteri. Necropolis of Banditaccia

The necropolis is located on a tuff hill and with an area of 400 hectares is the largest Etruscan necroplis with many thousands of graves. In fact, it was in use since the ninth century BC until Roman times. The name "Banditaccia" derives from the fact that since the end of the 1800s the area has been "banned", i.e. leased through tender, by the landowners of Cerveteri in favour of the local population.
Depending on the historical period, the burials are in wells, barrow mounds (circular) and "cubes" (aligned regularly along burial roads). Those mounds reproduce the house of the deceased and the wealth of detail has allowed us to know of household uses of the Etruscans.
Many artifacts of the necropolis are collected in the Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome and in many other museums in the world.
The Banditaccia is listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
 Tomb of the Capitals
The Tomb of the Capitals owes name to the capitals on top of the columns and its peculiarity to the flat roof that faithfully reproduces that of housing with a structure made of wooden beams and trellis. From this one can understand the architecture of the Etruscan homes.
Tomb of the Reliefs
It is perhaps the most famous tomb of Banditaccia and dates back to the fourth century BC. It is accessed via a long staircase carved into the rock that leads to a great room with a ceiling supported by two columns with Aeolian capitals. It includes 13 double burial niches of stucco painted with red cushions, household objects and animals. A visit here offers a real insight into the daily life of a wealthy Etruscan family of the IV-III century BC.
Tomb of the Frame
The Tomb of the Frame has an access "going up" that forms a short walkway from which there are two "smaller" rooms in which there are funerary beds on either side. The walkway reaches a vast central room overlooked by the three main burial chambers.