Among Italy’s 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the most of any country – the majority include some type of architecture: castles, churches, city centers, dwellings, public spaces, temples, and tombs. Although traces of settlements have been found dating to more than 50,000 years ago, it was during the eighth century BC when the Etruscans began to influence the style of Italian architecture.

In central Italy throughout what are now Tuscany, Umbria and northern Rome, the Etruscans built an empire that in 200 years would extend north – through Emilia-Romagna – to the Po River and south along the coast to Campania. In southern Italy and on the island of Sicily, Greek colonists were establishing cities and building open temples with roofs supported by columns.