The necropolis at Kerkuane lies on the same flat, sea-fringed shelf as the Punic town, a short walk from it, and it is a different kind of visit: quieter, odder and more personal. The Carthaginians who lived here buried their dead in rock-cut tombs, some with painted plaster, with offerings of pottery and small objects. The tombs were found outside the walls, as the Punic custom was, and while the best finds have gone to museums, the site still gives a very direct sense of how close daily life and death were in this small coastal city.
The country around is the Cap Bon, the narrow peninsula that points toward Sicily. It is green by Tunisian standards: citrus groves around Nabeul, vineyards, orchards and fields of vegetables, and the smell of orange blossom in spring. Along the north-east coast the land is lower and drier, with scrub, windbreaks of cane and pine, and long beaches that are mostly empty outside August. Kélibia, twelve kilometres south, is the nearest large town, famous for its Muscat wine, its fortress above the harbour and its white sand. El Haouaria, a little further, is known for its spring falcon-handling tradition and for the ancient quarries cut into the sea cliffs, where stone for Carthage was supposedly taken out.
The roads on this coast are easy and sometimes broken at the edges, with the occasional goat, cyclist or donkey cart. They are not fast or technical, but they are friendly, and you have the sea on one side for most of the day. Fuel is available in Kélibia and in the larger villages, but do not rely on the small hamlets, and carry water in summer, when the shade is scarce.
The ride from here goes toward Tunis and its medina, so allow time for the return drive. Late afternoon light on the tombs and the sea is particularly good, and if you can combine it with a late lunch of grilled fish in Kélibia, the day will feel properly balanced.