Between the VIII and III centuries BC, the Etruscan civilisation developed in upper Latium, Umbria and Tuscany. This people who had a particular cult of the dead, have left us much testimony to their splendid art. Civitavecchia is at the centre of this area, and many of the itineraries for visiting important archaelogical sites start from there.
Tarquinia, Tuscania, Vulci constitute a prestigious cultural triangle for the many remains that bear witness to the Etruscan people.
Only 30 kilometres separate Civitavecchia from Tarquinia, city par excellence of Viterbian Etruria, whose famous painted tombs are a treasure of inestimable value. The National Museum houses a notable archaelogical collection. Medieval Tarquinia, set on a hill with a view as far as the sea, and its surrounding countryside are also enchanting.
Proceeding inland, one finds Tuscania, a city with two faces - Etruscan and Medieval. The first is represented by the rock tombs (that of the Queen is formed by a striking underground labyrinth) and by an interesting archaelogical museum. The latter is equally fascinating - the Romanesque churches of St Peter and St Mary Major are examples of proto Romanesque and Romanesque architecture between the VII and XIII centuries. 
To complete the itinerary, going north, one reaches Vulci, an area of beautiful scenery and art within the Nature and Archaeological Park. The area includes the remains of  an Etruscan-Roman town, a necropolis (Francois tomb), the Abbadia castle (which houses the National Museum) and an ecological oasis on the banks of the river Fiora, a river sacred to the Etruscans. There are only three of the Etruscan jewels, but all the area around is disseminated with sites and towns worth a stop, an example is Chiusi with its multi-coloured urns, or Cerveteri for the monumental tumulus necropolis.