Beyond Rome, the landscape of Lazio unfurls in a panorama of fertile fields dotted with cypresses and umbrella pines. Venturing north toward Tuscany, we move into the heart of ancient Etruscan lands. One of the most evocative testimonies of this ancient culture lies at Cerveteri, a quiet town an hour’s drive north of Rome. It’s an easy day trip from the city, or a destination in itself for those fascinated with Italy before the Roman era.

The Banditaccia necropolis, on the outskirts of Cerveteri, is a stunning Etruscan “city of the dead” that, along with the necropolis at Tarquinia, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This off-the-beaten-track archeological park immerses you in the world of the ancient Etruscans. The tombs at Cerveteri are organized along paved roads with gutters, drains, sidewalks cut out of rock, all representative of Etruscan urban planning. To walk the streets of Banditaccia, you get a feel for what it might have felt like to explore an Etruscan town.