Long before the Romans rampaged onto the scene, the Etruscans had forged a powerful civilization in central Italy.

While little remains of this ancient people, if you head to the pitted, rugged hills of Tuscany, Umbria and northern Lazio, and you’ll find traces of what was once one of the Mediterranean’s great cultures. Here is our guide to Italy’s top sites, museums and treasures that evoke the lost world of the Etruscans.

Who were the Etruscans?

The Etruscans dominated west-central Italy from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE. Their territory, Etruria, was centered on a confederation of 12 city-states in the area between the Arno and Tiber rivers.