An Etruscan settlement dating back to the 9th century BC has been found on the Tavolara isle off the Sardinian coasts near Olbia. This is possible the first Etruscan settlement ever found on Sardinia.

It is believed that the site was located on the small island off Sardinia’s coast to provide a certain degree of protection in the contacts with the inhabitants of the inland, people of the Nuragic civilization. Archaeologists note that other settlements might be found in the Gallura area, on the opposite shore from Etruria. According archaeologist Francesco di Gennaroto, the exchanges between nuraghic Sardinia is well known and has been studied in depth, but a presence of a community coming from the Etruscan shore that settled in Sardinia and prospered had not previously been found. The discovery might help the reconstruction of relations between the two shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea in protohistory. The researchers state that there is a clear coastal line of settlement sites in northern Lazio and Tuscany with clear similarities with the settlement discovered in Tavolara. It is hoped that other settlements might be found in the Gallura area, on the opposite shore from Etruria.

(after ANSA & Soprintendenza Province Sassari e Nuoro)