The Etruscans buried their dead in cities of their own, and at Cerveteri, a few kilometres inland from this stop, the necropolis of the Banditaccia is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. Hundreds of tombs, some shaped like round mounds, others like houses with streets between them, stretch across a plateau among cypress and grass. Inside, the tombs are carved to imitate rooms, with beds, chairs and household objects in stone.
Marina di Cerveteri is the beach below, a strip of holiday homes and beach clubs along the coast between Ladispoli and Santa Severa. The sand is dark, and the sea is shallow and calm in summer. Further north, the castle of Santa Severa stands right on the beach, a medieval fortress built on an Etruscan port.
Ladispoli, next door, is famous for its artichokes, and every spring it holds a festival in their honour. The Roman artichoke, carciofo romanesco, is round, tender and served in many ways, fried whole or braised with mint.
This stop marks the end of the ride from the Gran Sasso, a long day of mountains and plateaus, and the coast is a welcome change. The roads from the mountains descend through the hills to the coast, and the Aurelia runs along the shore.
Fuel is on the Aurelia. Then go straight to the sand: a beach-bar table, a plate of pasta with clams, the sun dropping into the Tyrrhenian. After the bare uplands of Abruzzo, the sea air feels thick and warm, like stepping into a bath.