At the top of this hill is…

• • an Athenian monastery
• • an Etruscan fortress
• • a Turkish bathhouse
• • a Californian hotel

The Etruscans were an ancient people who held sway in central Italy before the Romans. They were noted for their hilltop towns and for their towers, which may be at the root of their name. Another possibility is that their name and provenance are owed to the city of Troy. There is much debate over whether the Etruscans migrated to Italy from the east or the north, or whether they were indigenous to Italy. It is certain that they spoke a non-Indo-European language and that they were overrun by the Romans, whose architecture and art were in turn influenced by the Etruscan style.