The Etruscans
After a good night’s sleep on the ship, we rose to a morning of threatening clouds which skittered across the otherwise blue sky, teasing us to predict whether we really needed an umbrella or not. We decided to go with a sunny outlook and boarded our bus without umbrellas and jackets. Jim and I were really getting into the ease of showing up at the embarkation deck, plastering small round color coded stickers on our chests and boarding prearranged buses. It was a nice change for us to just show up and let someone else do the work of planning the expedition. We were headed off to Tuscania and a tour of the ancient Etruscan tombs.
By the time we reached the fields near the town of Tarquinia, we realized that we were headed into heavier cloud cover and as our group huddled together to listen to our guide, a chilly wind picked up. I guess we should have brought those jackets and umbrellas! Who knew that July in the Mediterranean could be so cold! Fortunately, we were able to escape into the past and underground into the tombs.
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. The necropolis of Tarquinia is said to document the only urban civilization in pre-Roman Italy. The vibrant glory of the frescoed tombs are testimony to a vanished ancient culture. The tombs are accessed through stepped corridors leading down into rock cut chambers. Many of the frescoes are replicas of Etruscan houses. Others 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 placed lying on wooden or stone beds, and they were typically not mummified. You could see the holes where the bed posts had rested in the earth of the tombs. Occasionally jerking us back to the present, the intermittent light rain which had finally begun to fall caused us to sometimes run from tomb to tomb and huddle under the sheltered areas .
Our next stop was the village of Tarquinia. It was Flea Market Day! The lanes were lined with 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 for only 5 Euros when the fine rain finally became a downpour! The highlight of Tarquinia was the beautiful Etruscan Archeological Museum which is located in the Palazzo Vitelleschi. Not only was the collection amazing, the palace was beautiful as well. Palazzo Vitelleschi was erected by Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi in 1436-39 and was built using existing older buildings and part of the medieval wall, therefore, the architecture portrays building styles from the Gothic through Renaissance time.
After working up an appetite wandering through the extensive museum exhibits, it was time for lunch at the Agriturismo Poggio Colone which is located in a countryside filled with rolling wheat fields and surrounded by a forest of oaks. This particular Agriturismo is a working and teaching farm which occupies the Nature Reserve of Tuscania, where tourists can arrange to visit for lunch cheese tasting or ride on horseback. You can also visit Etruscan tombs and caves on the property. The owners had prepared delicate and savory lasagna which was served 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 to the Medieval walled town of Tuscania which was established around the 7th century BCE. According to one local legend Tuscania was founded by Aeneas’ son Ascanius. He is said to have found twelve dog pups at that location (the Etruscan name Tus-Cana uses “Cana” which is a word similar to the Latin “Canis” for “dog”). We stopped at the walled area overlooking Basilica of San Pietro, built in the 8th century, but reconstructed in the 11th century in the Romanesque style. Beside it were two towers, the Bishop’s palace and the remains of an 11th century fortification. We took photos of the amazing view and then headed on to “Marta”, our final stop on the tour. As we approached we could see the 13th century clock tower which sits on the ruins of a fortress built in 1260 by Pope Urban the IV, soaring over the town. We winded our way through narrow medieval alleyways lined with stone buildings that had been built with the local “Tufa”, which is a volcanic rock found in abundance in this area. The village was on the shore of Lago Bolsena, which is the largest lake of volcanic origin in Europe and the water was a deep cobalt blue that day.
Marta also happened to be our tour guide’s favorite fishing location. He seemed to know everyone in the quaint little town. In the village, the rainbow rows of houses lined the lake and the shore in front of them was lined with equally colorful fishing boats, some with cartoon faces or sharp teeth drawn onto their bows. In the old days, the ground floors of the buildings were used for storing the boats and fishing equipment. Nowadays, they house shops and restaurants.
One building in the midst of all these establishments was definitely had an unusual use. The Fish Hatchery was a large open room with what looked like basins throughout. Nearby, our guide stopped to chat with an old fisherman mending his nets which were neatly draped over the backs of chairs. Our guide asked him whether the hatchery was in operation this year. He said that this (2011) was not a good year for the hatchery. The smell was really bad, so I didn’t even want to know what actually went on in there, but the hatchery 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, and cool beer at one of the few places that were open during the “siesta” hour, we headed back to the ship well versed in Etruscans and Italian Fishing!
After a good night’s sleep on the ship, we rose to a morning of threatening clouds which skittered across the otherwise blue sky, teasing us to predict whether we really needed an umbrella or not. We decided to go with a sunny outlook and boarded our bus without umbrellas and jackets. Jim and I were really getting into the ease of showing up at the embarkation deck, plastering small round color coded stickers on our chests and boarding prearranged buses. It was a nice change for us to just show up and let someone else do the work of planning the expedition. We were headed off to Tuscania and a tour of the ancient Etruscan tombs.
By the time we reached the fields near the town of Tarquinia, we realized that we were headed into heavier cloud cover and as our group huddled together to listen to our guide, a chilly wind picked up. I guess we should have brought those jackets and umbrellas! Who knew that July in the Mediterranean could be so cold! Fortunately, we were able to escape into the past and underground into the tombs.
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. The necropolis of Tarquinia is said to document the only urban civilization in pre-Roman Italy. The vibrant glory of the frescoed tombs are testimony to a vanished ancient culture. The tombs are accessed through stepped corridors leading down into rock cut chambers. Many of the frescoes are replicas of Etruscan houses. Others 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 placed lying on wooden or stone beds, and they were typically not mummified. You could see the holes where the bed posts had rested in the earth of the tombs. Occasionally jerking us back to the present, the intermittent light rain which had finally begun to fall caused us to sometimes run from tomb to tomb and huddle under the sheltered areas .
Our next stop was the village of Tarquinia. It was Flea Market Day! The lanes were lined with 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 for only 5 Euros when the fine rain finally became a downpour! The highlight of Tarquinia was the beautiful Etruscan Archeological Museum which is located in the Palazzo Vitelleschi. Not only was the collection amazing, the palace was beautiful as well. Palazzo Vitelleschi was erected by Cardinal Giovanni Vitelleschi in 1436-39 and was built using existing older buildings and part of the medieval wall, therefore, the architecture portrays building styles from the Gothic through Renaissance time.
After working up an appetite wandering through the extensive museum exhibits, it was time for lunch at the Agriturismo Poggio Colone which is located in a countryside filled with rolling wheat fields and surrounded by a forest of oaks. This particular Agriturismo is a working and teaching farm which occupies the Nature Reserve of Tuscania, where tourists can arrange to visit for lunch cheese tasting or ride on horseback. You can also visit Etruscan tombs and caves on the property. The owners had prepared delicate and savory lasagna which was served 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 to the Medieval walled town of Tuscania which was established around the 7th century BCE. According to one local legend Tuscania was founded by Aeneas’ son Ascanius. He is said to have found twelve dog pups at that location (the Etruscan name Tus-Cana uses “Cana” which is a word similar to the Latin “Canis” for “dog”). We stopped at the walled area overlooking Basilica of San Pietro, built in the 8th century, but reconstructed in the 11th century in the Romanesque style. Beside it were two towers, the Bishop’s palace and the remains of an 11th century fortification. We took photos of the amazing view and then headed on to “Marta”, our final stop on the tour. As we approached we could see the 13th century clock tower which sits on the ruins of a fortress built in 1260 by Pope Urban the IV, soaring over the town. We winded our way through narrow medieval alleyways lined with stone buildings that had been built with the local “Tufa”, which is a volcanic rock found in abundance in this area. The village was on the shore of Lago Bolsena, which is the largest lake of volcanic origin in Europe and the water was a deep cobalt blue that day.
Marta also happened to be our tour guide’s favorite fishing location. He seemed to know everyone in the quaint little town. In the village, the rainbow rows of houses lined the lake and the shore in front of them was lined with equally colorful fishing boats, some with cartoon faces or sharp teeth drawn onto their bows. In the old days, the ground floors of the buildings were used for storing the boats and fishing equipment. Nowadays, they house shops and restaurants.
One building in the midst of all these establishments was definitely had an unusual use. The Fish Hatchery was a large open room with what looked like basins throughout. Nearby, our guide stopped to chat with an old fisherman mending his nets which were neatly draped over the backs of chairs. Our guide asked him whether the hatchery was in operation this year. He said that this (2011) was not a good year for the hatchery. The smell was really bad, so I didn’t even want to know what actually went on in there, but the hatchery 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, and cool beer at one of the few places that were open during the “siesta” hour, we headed back to the ship well versed in Etruscans and Italian Fishing!