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Necropoli della Madonna dell'Olivo

Etruscan necropolis about 2 km from Tuscania with the Grotta della Regina, the Tomba del Sarcofago delle Amazzoni and the Curunas tombs, open by advance booking.

Opening hours unknown

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About the museum

The Necropoli della Madonna dell’Olivo lies about two kilometres south-west of Tuscania, on a site overlooking the valley of the River Marta. It is part of the extensive system of Etruscan burials in the Tuscania area, cut into tufa or built as chamber tombs.

The site is best known for the Grotta della Regina, an L-shaped underground chamber with two columns and a network of passages on several levels, and for the Tomba del Sarcofago delle Amazzoni, whose carved sarcophagus shows scenes of an Amazonomachy. Nearby are the Curunas tombs, whose sarcophagi are often topped by the figure of the deceased; the grave goods, in particular the bronze vessels from Tomba I dei Curunas, are kept in the Museo archeologico nazionale di Tuscania. There is also an older tomb, dating to the 5th century BC (possibly the late 6th), with a ceiling carved to imitate wooden beams.

The site is managed by the Soprintendenza archeologia belle arti e paesaggio per la provincia di Viterbo e l’Etruria meridionale (heritage authority) and is opened to the public by advance booking and on special opening occasions.

Highlights

Grotta della Regina, an L-shaped underground chamber with two columns
Tomba del Sarcofago delle Amazzoni
Curunas tombs with sarcophagi bearing figures of the deceased
5th-century BC tomb with a ceiling imitating wooden beams
View over the valley of the Marta

Operated by: Ministero della Cultura – Soprintendenza ABAP per la provincia di Viterbo e l'Etruria meridionale
Visitors per year: approx. 1,695