The Etruscans were a civilization culturally and socially highly evolved of ancient Italy, who settled in a wide area from then on known as Etruria, corresponding to Tuscany, Umbria and the northern part of Latium. The expansion and the influence of Etruscan spread to the south towards coast of Campania and to the north to occupy an extensive portion of the Po Valley in the current Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy.

The origins and the provenance of the Etruscans is not yet very clear: according to some sources, including the Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 BC), it is believed that they came from Asia minor, according to other sources it seems that they were related with the Trojans (thesis supported by Virgil); other traditions share their civilization with ancient Sardinians, according to another tradition they should be considered as natives. Whatever their true origin, it seems certain that the first Etruscan people overlapped on Villanovan civilization (see “Prehistory and Italic Art“) from the tenth century BC, assimilating different traditions and skills. The expansion and development of Etruscan civilization accelerate between the eighth and seventh century BC, continuing until the clash with the emerging power of Rome, which since the conquest of Veio (396 BC) began a long process of conquest and assimilation of Etruscan civilization in the Romans which finally completed in the first century BC.

The artistic and cultural heritage left by the Etruscans is immense and can be found in the numerous archaeological sites scattered in the regions mentioned above: ancient ruins, walls, necropolis and various architectural elements that distinguish centers as Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Veio, Vulci, Bolsena (Latium); Populonia, Vetulonia, Volterra, Arezzo, Chiusi, Roselle (Tuscany); Orvieto, Perugia (Umbria), in addition to countless examples of refined art like sculptures in bronze and iron, pottery, the urns and vases decorations: collections of inestimable value preserved in the museums of Italy. Really noteworthy is also the fact that Etruscans have left indelible traces found in religion, in customs and in buildings of ancient Rome.

The Magna Graecia is the area located in the southern part of the Italian peninsula that was colonized by the Grecians from the eighth century BC.

The increase of population in various cities of ancient Greece, with the consequent need to find new opportunities for livelihood, combined with the interest for the possibility of developing trades, drove between the eighth and seventh century BC to a considerable number of farmers, peasants, craftsmen and merchants from Greece to head towards the Italic coasts (to put it better, to the coast of present Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Campania). This intense migration culminated with the establishment of numerous coastal and inland colonies, cities which then grew and reached high levels in the social, cultural and economic field, so as to encourage the formation and development of a civilization that was called Magna Graecia, to indicate evolution and overcoming compared with the ancient homeland.

Sicily requires special remarks, because despite having numerous colonies of Grecian origin is not properly part of Magna Graecia: if the Roman historian included Sicily in this great civilization the ancient Grecians were not of one mind.

Many reports of the glorious times past are found in archaeological sites and museums in several cities of southern Italy, calling today a huge number of tourists. Among the cities that owe their origin to the Grecians one can list: Canosa, Gallipoli, Taranto (Puglia); Ferrandina, Metaponto, Nova Siri, Pisticci, Policoro, Tursi (Basilicata); Cirò, Crotone, Gioia Tauro, Marcellina, Nocera Terinese, Reggio Calabria, Rosarno, Vibo Valentia (Calabria); Cuma, Ischia, Napoli, Pozzuoli (Campania); Acireale, Agrigento, Camarina, Catania, Gela, Giardini-Naxos, Imera, Lentini, Messina, Milazzo, Selinunte, Siracusa (Sicily). Among the most interesting monuments: the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento (declared Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO), the Temple of Poseidon at Taranto, the Temple of Hera in Metaponto, in addition to numerous exhibits kept inside the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in Reggio Calabria.

Italy holds within its borders an immense artistic heritage, a huge museum that over the centuries has increasingly enriched thanks to the great civilizations and the genius of artists who today are celebrated worldwide.

A travel to Italy offers the chance to start exploring the countless number of monuments and works preserved both in large art cities such as Rome, Florence and Venice as in each of the other cities of the peninsula: every region of Italy is able to offer pleasant surprises to their visitors, with marvels in all the various fields where it can be divided art (architecture, sculpture, painting but also music, literature and filming).

From prehistoric times until today, Italy has always been one of the most active areas with regard to culture and art. Following a historic route you can start from prehistoric Italian art (up to the Bronze Age) and what is called Italic Art, produced by the many civilizations that lived in the Italian peninsula during the period proto-historic, namely between the beginning of Iron Age (around the twelfth century BC) and the complete domination of Rome (first century BC), these must be added the testimonies of Magna Graecia and the particular case represented by Etruscan art.

The traces of prehistoric art in Italy are concentrated in two main areas: the Po Valley, in contact with the northern Europe and Danube area, and the central-southern area overlooking the Mediterranean. Admirable are the examples of rock art of civilization Camuna (in the Val Camonica in Lombardy), terracotta vases of civilization Villanovian (from Villanova near Bologna), elegant ornaments on metal pots of civilization Atesina (from Este in the province of Padua ).

Among the most typical examples of Italic art there are the magnificent limestone statues and tombstones produced by populations allocated along the coasts of the Adriatic Sea (such as Piceni and Daunians), as the “warrior of Capestrano” (preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo, Chieti) or “stele of Siponto” (in northern Puglia).