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Published: July 24th 2011
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Leave it to Mike to find a newspaper on the bus! I’m really far behind on these blogs! It seems the only time available to do them is midnight! Well, this one is about Tarquinia, the Etruscan Tombs and Tuscania. MK and Jim and I ventured off to view these under threatening skies while the T’s road their bus east out of the rain zone to Rome.
The Etruscans lived in west-central Italy from the 9th century BCE (Before the Common Era) onward. Their culture reached its height in the 6th century BC. In a strange way, the necropolis of Tarquinia documents the only urban civilication in pre-Roman Italy. The depictions in the frescoed tombs many of which are replicas of Etruscan houses are a unique testimony to a vanished ancient culture.
The tombs are accessed through stepped corridors leading down into rock cut chambers. The painted interiors were really impressive. The tombs portray hunting and fishing themes, scenes of wildlife, aristocratic life and the surrounding mountain views. The tombs were typically for one couple only and the bodies were found laying on wooden or stone beds, and they were not mummified. You can see the holes where the bed posts rested in the earth of the tombs. While the
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Kayla is not too happy with the rain and cold in Tarquinia. intermittent rain caused us to sometimes run from tomb to tomb and huddle under the shelter areas , the weather kept the temps mild and cool. We were definitely not dressed for this!
Next stop was the village of Tarquinia. It was Flea Market Day! Lots of RV’s selling all sorts of cheap stuff. It really detracted from the ambiance of the beautiful old town, but on the bright side we were able to buy umbrellas during a downpour for only 5 euros! The highlight of Tarquinia is the beautiful
Etruscan Archeological Museum which is located in the Palazzo Vitelleschi. Not only was the collection amazing, the palace is beautiful as well. Palazzo Vitelleschi was erected by Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi in 1436-39. The palace was built using existing buildings and part of the medieval wall, therefore, the architecture shows building styles from the Gothic through Renaissance time.
Time for lunch at the Agriturismo…. which is a working farm where tourists can pay to stay or visit for lunch. It was about 5 minutes out in the countryside and was rustic place full of charm and beauty. They had prepared a delicate and savory lasagna which was served
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Mike shoots our butts as we huddle listening to our guide. with salad, bread and lots of local white wine. After loads of conversation and food, we said a grateful goodbye to our hosts and headed off.
After leaving the Agriturismo, we headed off to the town of Tuscania which was built around the 7th century BCE. According to one local legend Tuscania was founded by Aeneas’ son Ascanius where he had found twelve dog pups (the Etruscan name Tus-Cana uses “Cana” which is a word similar to Latin Canis for “dog”). We only stopped for pics and views and headed on to “Marta”, our final stop on the tour.
Marta also happened to be our tour guide’s favorite fishing location. He seemed to know everyone in the quaint little town. The village is on Lake Bolsena, which is the largest lake of volcanic origin in Europe. In town, the colorful houses line the lake and the shore in front of them is lined with fishing boats. In the old days, the ground floor of the buildings were used for storing the boats and fishing equipment. Nowadays, the ground floors house shops and restaurants.
One exception to this is the fish hatchery. We stopped in to watch
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The tomb entrance from the outside a fisherman mending his nets while our guide asked him whether the hatchery was in operation this year. My understanding is that this is not a good year for the hatchery. The smell was really bad, so I didn’t even want to know what went on in there, but it is still a very important part of the fishing industry in the area. I was surprised to hear from our guide that the Perch and other White Fish from the United States were introduced to the lake to eat mosquitoes, because there were no indigenous fish in that area that ate mosquitoes. How did Mother Nature miss that one? After a stroll by the lake, we headed back to the ship well versed in Etruscans and Italian Fishing!
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