Were candles invented in Italy? Well, the claim is partially true, because if we know candles were common among the Greeks, we have also proof they were used by the Etruscans, who lived in the central regions of our peninsula: they would use beeswax to mold them and rush as a wick. 

We know that the Romans used candles already in 500 BC, both as a source of light in households and as religious offerings to the gods, especially during the Saturnalia. They had a hemp wick and they were made out of pitch or tallow. Romans also had beeswax candles but they were more expensive and common only among the wealthy or beekeepers, who had easy and cheap access to plenty of raw material.