On a defenceless plain beside the River Fiora, Vulci led the pre-Roman world in bronze manufacture. By the 7thC BC it was Etruria’s fancy goods emporium, turning out fascinating ornaments − tiny statuettes, decorated ostrich eggs, Egyptian scarabs and painted vases and jewellery. Much of what survived is now in the British Museum, London. Architecturally, the François tomb is the most remarkable. Its contents have been detached and reassembled in Rome’s Villa Albani. Other material is at Villa Giulia.

Guided tours of the tombs leave Casale dell’Osteria most days in summer. The tour includes the excellent National Archaeological Museum in Abbadia Castle, which is approached by a 1stC BC bridge of stone, delicate and fragile. (If you are unguided, take the rough lane upstream and come back to the river after 4 km. You can return to Vulci across the ravine by a startlingly modern bridge.)