Grotta Porcina Archaeological Area

The name of this necropolis comes from the past conversion of Etruscan tombs into shelters for pigs. Located along the Via Clodia, at the point where it crosses the Fosso Grignano, the Grotta Porcina necropolis (7th–3rd century BC) consists of numerous pit tombs, an imposing mound with an access bridge to the top, an immense chamber tomb with a coffered ceiling, and several simple chamber tombs with a central beam and lateral depositions.

The main monument is a large circular mound (first half of the 6th century BC), carved by cutting into a high tuff spur, which houses a three-chamber tomb: the first with a ceiling featuring regular coffered relief; the second with a portal decorated in red relief, a gabled ceiling with a faux columen, and a 15-meter-deep rectangular shaft; the third with the same rectangular shaft. Nearby are other chamber tombs, one of which features a characteristic coffered gabled ceiling.

In the valley below, enclosed in a fenced area and covered by a protective roof, lies an imposing cylindrical rock altar (5.8 m in diameter) with orientalizing-style bas-relief decorations depicting animals. On the sides, steps for spectators are visible: according to E. Colonna Di Paola, the complex — dating back to the first half of the 6th century BC — can be considered “the oldest known theater in Italy,” although linked to funerary worship. Nearby, there is also a Hellenistic aedicule in the shape of a half-cube and, following the Fosso Grignano, a small Temple (late 6th–early 5th century BC) destroyed by a fire in the 3rd century BC.