VEII, a proud Etruscan city destroyed by the Romans. In 1916 what is considered to be the greatest masterpiece of Etruscan art was discovered here,
the so-called Apollo of Veii, now in the Villa Giulia Museum in Rome. It is said that the workman who uncovered the head found it so beautiful that he covered it with kisses.
When the statue was uncovered it was found standing on its feet- Although his city fell, the Apollo of Veii did not stoop to the Romans! To go through the cultivated fields which were once the city of Vcii is to experience that same melancholy which assailed Chateaubriand when he gazed at the ruins of Sparta. If a guide can be found, one can visit the tombs of the Veil necropolis, among them the Campana tomb and that of the Painted Lions- We are now at the gates of Rome, which rises clearly before us. Seventeen kilometres from Isola Farnese (10 3/4 mi.), we enter ROME through the Porta dal Popolo. (For description of Rome see Route VII).
From OSTIA ANTICA (See Route VII) skirting Fiumicino Airport, we arrive at the Autostrada which runs parallel to the Via Aurelia from Rome to Civitavecchia, to CERVETERI
