The Etruscans
A fully developed civilization before the birth of Rome, the Etruscans were the best organized and enterprising society along the Italian shore. Shrewd sailors, they sailed across the Mediterranean with their merchant ships amassing incredible wealth through trade. The leading Etruscan towns were Cerveteri and Tarquinia: renowned for their necropoles appointed by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a world heritage sight. In the Etruscan society the burial sites were crucial since it was believed the deceased would live on. So the tombs were the houses of the dead mirroring the houses of the living.
Cerveteri or Caere by its ancient name was the largest commercial town. Its necropolis counts hundreds of tombs in all shapes: vaults, mausoleums and burial chambers built after the normal dwellings.
Tarquinia, one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan League home to the Tarquinii family, the kings of Rome. Today is a charming town with the existing medieval walls and edifices and a very interesting archaeological museum
In its surrounding lies the Monterozzi necropolis with numerous tombs frescoed with everyday life, beliefs and traditions from this ancient civilization.
The Etruscan National Museum of Villa Giulia, built in 1551-53 for the Pope Julius III was established in 1889 with the aim to present an extensive collection of all the pre-roman finds. Today is one of the leading museums of Etruscan artifacts.