Since prehistoric times,
Greeks,
Etruscans and
Celts have inhabited the south, centre and north of the Italian peninsula respectively. The very numerous
Rock Drawings in Valcamonica go back to 8,000 BC, and there are rich remains of
Etruscan art from thousands of tombs, as well as rich remains from the Greek colonies at
Paestum,
Agrigento and elsewhere.
Ancient Rome finally emerged as the dominant Italian and European power. The Roman remains in Italy are of extraordinary richness, from the grand Imperial monuments of
Rome itself to the survival of exceptionally preserved ordinary buildings in
Pompeii and neighbouring sites. Following the
fall of the Roman Empire, in the
Middle Ages Italy, especially the north, remained an important centre, not only of the
Carolingian art and
Ottonian art of the
Holy Roman Emperors, but for the
Byzantine art of Ravenna and other sites.
Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale reflect the influence and craftmanship of the Islamic populations of
Sicily and the south.