Sunday, February 23, 2014

Tarquinia's Secret Gardens


A visit to Tarquinia begins at the Etruscan Museum 
 
  I  made  some wonderful discoveries  Yesterday in Tarquinia, the  Etruscan  town famous for its  painted Etruscan tombs is only a short  drive from my home in  Vetralla and even  closer to Civitavecchia’s port, making it  a perfect  trip  for cruise passengers  looking for an alternative  to  Rome  excursions.






 After  a visit to the Etruscan Museum and  a stop for pizza  we  went to visit  friends with beautiful gardens.
view of Tarquinia from the  garden 

 The first garden is that surrounding an elegant villa  estate  which once belonged to a 19th century Cardinal.  

rare breed  at home in Tarquinia
The  new owners Celeste and Franco have  transformed the villa into an  elegant B&B of only   three rooms.  Check out the  video. 
Across the valley, near Santa Maria del Castello,  is the other garden, studded with sculptures  and roaming peacocks.


Etruscan sphinx  by a local sculptor 

Maremma cowboy statue 
Owner Bruno  has dedicated  decades  of hard manual labor  to create this  magical   place  in an area previously  ignored by the people of Tarquinia, for it is adjacent to  the former slaughter house.

If you have  enjoyed   visiting  these unusual sites, why not share with your friends and leave a comment here below. 
For more information about this area  take a  look at my website. The only books in English   can be ordered directly  from  my  website www.elegantetruria.com  



5 comments:

  1. http://www.studiocolotti.it/it/pubblicazioni_e_attivita_letteraria.asp

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  2. Fantastic again Mary Jane! I remember our short trip through Tarquinia, so beautiful,next time I hope to spend more time there! REALLY love all your pics and info!Thank you! Keep on bogging!Fondly, Jamie Stoffel

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  3. We were sorry we couldn't get there last November due to weather and our own fatigue…LOL…we plan on going there this fall….thanks for the beautiful pics, Mary Jane….Linda and Mark

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  4. I have not yet seen these gardens or village..must add it to my spring excursions..maybe when you are there we can plan to meet up..love your site...

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  5. Hello Mary Jane,
    Thank you for the great article. I really enjoyed spending the day with you and then reading about it. I look forward to collaborating with you anytime you would like in the future.

    Here is the list of recommended places to eat. Sorry I took so long. I wanted to categorize them. Stars are for prices and order is not by preference. You can find the description/location and how many they can seat at this link. I could write on essay on where and what to eat in Tarquinia. There are several tavole calde that are more delicious than a sit down restaurant for those on a budget but that is another catagory.

    Seafood;
    • Er Corsaro*** (this is my favorite)
    • Falcione ***
    • Chalet del Pescatore **
    • il Mondino ****
    • Gradinoro *****
    Pizza:
    • Il Falchetto *
    • Marinai(only for dinner on the weekend)**
    • Coco’s(owned by Falcione, pizza at night on the weekend) **
    Restaurants Regional Cuisine
    • Cava Tappi **
    • Ambaradam***
    • Locanda di Cappuccini (specializes in medieval cuisine-fixed daily menu-reservations required-max 20pax)**
    • Al Butto Medioevale***

    Kind regards,
    Sherri Ward

    www.etruscantourism.it
    Office +

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