Photo Galleries - Cerveteri, Bracciano, Ceri, Italy

I think that's a dandelion.  Either way, I thought this macro shot turned out pretty well.

Walking into a normally inaccessible portion of the necropolis on our way to a special tomb that was only open for two hours that day.

A tomb in the normally inaccessible section of the necropolis.

The ingenuity and ability of the Etruscans is amazing - especially since some of this stuff dates back 3,500 years.

Another tomb entrance in the normally off-limits section that resembles the architecture in the open section.

Continuing our walk to the special tomb.

This tomb is obviously a little more ruined than others.  It was interesting to see it like this, though, with multiple rooms inside.

The entrance to the tomb of the royal Etruscan family Tarquinii.  Our guides were excited, as they had never been into it before.  We went into the door on the left.

Inside the royal tomb.  It was REALLY dark in there - the flash did a nice job of lighting things up.

Some of the ancient writing is still visible on the walls of this tomb.  Some of it was written in Etruscan, some in Latin as the family moved from the Etruscan to the Roman eras.

A decent shot of the mixed Etruscan and Latin writing.

This is the access hole to the next level down in the tomb. Apparently there are at least two more levels below the main level we saw.  The newer the tomb, the deeper they are.

A final shot of the interior of the Royal Tarquinii family tomb. Imagine what it looked like when the paint and markings were fresh.

The southwest walls of Castello Odescalchi in Bracciano.

The southwest outer walls of Castello Odescalchi.

The main entrance to Castello Odescalchi.  Pretty impressive, and my very first visit to a real castle.

The red vines really made this turret and the castle entrace beautiful.