The Etruscan Necropolis of Grotte di Castro: Vigna la Piazza and the Pianezze

In Grotte di Castro, a small town in Viterbo located near Lake Bolsena, there is an important archaeological site: an Etruscan necropolis. The area is actually divided into two necropolises: the necropolis of Pianezze and the Necropolis of Vigna la Piazza. The site called Necropoli delle Pianezze, develops along the ridge of a tuff hill near a ditch called the River Largo. It seems that it was in use between the seventh and fifth centuries BC. C, and must be inserted in a wider context linked to an Etruscan settlement located on the hill called La Civita. To date, 24 tombs have been identified, with SE-NW orientation. According to Etruscan religious beliefs, the north-western sector (between the cardinal points where the sun sets and does not pass) is to be attributed to the deities of the afterlife. Each tomb was intended for a family unit and it seems that it was a necropolis for wealthy families, given the valuable materials found. The Necropolis of Vigna la Piazza is a recently discovered structure that has made it possible to learn more about Etruscan funeral rituals. It is characterized by the presence of individual pit burials, often inserted in a central position within a circle of small roughly hewn tuff blocks and placed dry. The funerary structure is characterized by a pit dug into the ground, with NE / SW orientation, covered along the walls with tuff splinters, and whose roof is often vaulted. Tomb VLP 47c was found here in 2012, still very well maintained, with some burial objects.