One day among the Etruscans

Rome was the centre of the ancient world. All the Mediterranean and continental population had to submit to the Roma legions.
With some of the defeated nations Roman were much more brutal. None could resist the “manifest destiny” of Rome. So Etruscans, Carthaginians, Germans and Jews paid a very high price, risking the total extermination.
Etruscans were a people living in the fertile region north of Rome, approximately between the rivers Tiber and Arno, about 8th b.C. Being a refined people of merchants, Etruscans were rich, elegant and imported goods and artistic objects from Middle East and Greece. They were great architects, even if they never lived in big cities, great builder of roads, temples, sewers.
Not long after the foundation of a small city of shepherds and cattle raiders along the river Tiber, the Etruscans took the power of Rome, becoming among the first kings of this city.
A revolt chased the last king of Rome , which became a Republic. The Romans could not tolerate to remember their humble origins and decided to cancel a whole civilization. All the small cities, the temples, the ports of the Etruscan were destroyed. Romans denied the Roman citizenship to the surviving Etruscan until the end of the Empire. Today we have very few traces of their complex society: many necropolis, because the superstitious Romans respected the dead; vases and pottery of exquisite manufacture, all found in the intact tombs; fine jewellery, stolen by the Romans.
In this tour we will enjoy both the beauty of the hills north of Rome, where the Etruscans lived, and visit one of their main necropolis.
With your guide and your chauffeured car at disposal for the whole day, you will reach the Hills of Tolfa (about 1 hous of driving ) a rare and still uncontaminated spot of the Etruscan hills, were the last Italian wolves still live, chasing wild boars and stags.
The walk up Monte Tosto is not very difficult. You need only trekking boots and to follow the local guide, through the Mediterranean vegetation, made of bushes an small trees. Once on the top of the Monte, you enjoy the wonderful sight of the gulf between the ancient port of Ostia and the modern port of Civitavecchia.
After the climb, we go down the hill reaching the beautiful waterfall – in summer people dive.
At the end of the walk, time to rest and eat in one of the typical trattoria.
Another fascinating walk is across the valley of the Tombs. Those Etruscan tombs were excavated along the cliff of rock. Etruscans spend money and time to create those monumental tombs, and every necropolis has its peculiar style.
After lunch, it is time to visit the Necropolis of the Banditaccia, hundreds of mounds digged in the soft soil . Those mounds are typical of the tombs of Cerveteri. Richer the families, bigger the mounds. Now the place is a labyrinth of tall artificial hills, where you can descend to see the resting place of this mysterious people.
The whole area around the archeological site is crowded of those yet not explored tombs. Most of them have been sacked since Middle Age, in search of gold, beautiful vases. Those hundreds of tombs have not been opened because of the cost of restoration and maintenance.