Italy - Cerveteri, Etruscan Necropolis - January 1969

 We found this Etruscan Necropolis on our way to Rome, there was nobody around, no fences, no entry charge, no nothing so we were able to wander around with the feeling that we'd just stepped back a couple of thousands of years and everyone was out working or something.   Amazing place and even more amazing now that I've looked up Wiki, see bottom of this post.

 The below two photos are from Google Maps, I'd forgotten how enormous the site was, or maybe we didn't see it all back then.

From Wiki - Necropolis of the Banditaccia

The most famous attraction of Cerveteri is the Necropoli della Banditaccia, which has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site together with the necropoleis in Tarquinia. It covers an area of 400 ha, of which 10 ha can be visited, encompassing a total of 1,000 tombs often housed in characteristic mounds. It is the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean area. The name Banditaccia comes from the leasing (bando) of areas of land to the Cerveteri population by the local landowners.
The tombs date from the 9th century BC (Villanovan culture) to the late Etruscan age (3rd century BC). The most ancient ones are in the shape of a pit, in which the ashes of the dead were housed; also simple potholes are present.