About Tuscania & Etruscans Tour

From Civitavecchia or Rome, after approx. 1 hour driving through beautiful surrounding valleys you will arrive to Tuscania. is a very old town whose origins can be traced back to the Bronze Age. A significant stability of human settlements dates back to the Etruscan period, as witnessed by the numerous necropolis in this area. Etruscans and their ancient history (IV-V sec.a.C.) made Tuscania a powerful city thanks to the creation of a compact road network.

With the rise of the Roman dominion in central Italy, most of the Etruscan settlements disappeared, but Tuscania resisted as one of the most important cities, thanks to its advanced architectonic development (bath, aqueducts, etc.). After the Etruscan and Roman periods, this area was first depopulated as a result of the Barbarian invasions and then underwent new urbanisation, starting in the eighth century. Over the centuries, some of the most beautiful Italian churches were built in Tuscania.
Take a look at this beautiful view from the Restaurant of "La Torre di Lavello"

The two most important churches represent a temporary architectural passage of the Romanic style: San Pietro, with its remarkable façade, the stunning rose-window and the crypt, and Santa Maria Maggiore, just below San Pietro, with its three finely decorated portals. Today Tuscania, with a population of 8.000, appears in all its splendour to its visitors, with a historical town Center with its characteristic fourth-fifth century architecture, enriched with fifty-two churches and numerous fountains.

On the way to go to Tuscania we an stop at the Tuscia Olive oil Factory to make a taste!

Many were Etruscan cities, among which were important in the south, Cerveteri, Tarquinia (then called Tarchna), Vulci, Tuscania, Veio, Volsinii and Sovana, in the middle end, Cortona, Arezzo, Perugia, Roselle, Vetulonia, Populonia in northern Pisa, Fiesole, Volterra, governed by the first king, then by oligarchies. These cities are sometimes numbered in confederations or alloys of a religious nature. Arricchendosi then over time thanks to the products of surrounding lands, especially cultivated wheat and flourishing farms animals, and exploiting the mines and trafficking, were able to establish itself quickly, expands between the seventh and fifth centuries BC, to the north in the valley Padana, where affirmed especially the cities of Felsina (Bologna), Mutna (Modena) Mantua (Mantua) and Misa (Marzabotto); connected to the Adriatic, with Spina, mediator of the influences of the world greek, propizianti from the north and the rich trade dell'ambra and tin; south Lazio notable is the temple found in Alatri and stored in the museum of Villa Giulia in Rome; sea, however, was tight competition with fisheries Carthaginian and Greek. Although Rome was never in stable domain Etruscan, but the dynasty of Tarquini, King of Etruscan origin, reflects the prestige and importance of Etruscan southern city, with numerous traces incancellabili left in religion, in customs, in institutions and buildings Rome also confirmed widely from archaeology.