When one thinks of the great civilisations of Italy's past, the Romans immediately come to mind; yet not everyone knows that this glorious people, who dominated the world for centuries, drew much from another civilisation that excelled on Italian soil: the Etruscans.

They occupied a vast territory stretching from the river Arno to the Tiber, encompassing the current regions of Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria. They founded eleven major centres that formed part of the Dodecapolis and even today these cities preserve indelible memories of Etruscan power, especially the necropolis, including those of Populonia, Cerveteri and Tarquinia.