The Etruscans (a preRoman civilization) built parallel cities on opposing hillsides...one for the living and one for the dead (necropolis). Cerveteri, situated North of Rome, has an intact necropolis made of hewn tufa...that was used to make the vaults. Volterra is another Etruscan site where one can see tombs and artifacts in a park-like setting. Etruscan artwork and pottery was traded all over the classical world. The Vatican Museum and the Villa Giulia have collections of Etruscan art, much of it associated with the mausoleums the Etruscans built near Rome.