The Necropoli della Banditaccia is the largest Etruscan necropolis in the world and, together with Tarquinia's painted tombs, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It occupies a volcanic tufa plateau just northwest of the modern town and covers several square kilometres, though the accessible area for visitors is smaller — perhaps a square kilometre of paths and tomb-streets that give a powerful sense of how the Etruscans imagined the afterlife as a continuation of daily existence.
The tombs are carved from the rock and shaped like houses: round tumulus mounds, rectangular chamber tombs with doors and windows, even carved stone furniture — beds, pillows, food implements — left inside for the dead. Walking between them on gravel paths, you are essentially strolling through a city neighbourhood where all the residents are underground. The atmosphere is extraordinary, particularly in the early morning or late afternoon when the site is quiet. Give yourself two hours at minimum, wear good shoes (the paths are uneven), and bring a torch — the interior of the larger tombs is dark.
The most spectacular tomb on the site is the Tomba dei Rilievi (Tomb of the Reliefs), a large chamber decorated with stucco reliefs of weapons, tools, and everyday objects — a record of Etruscan material culture as elaborate as any museum collection. It is usually viewable through a metal grille.