An ancient Etruscan city, where iron was produced thousands of years ago, has been restored and is open to visitors on the Italian coast.

Populonia produced iron from mines on the island of Elba and visitors to the $4 million restoration can see how it was done, ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported.

"Iron was produced on an industrial scale here," local expert Massimo Zucconi told ANSA.

The site includes a huge necropolis containing the remains of Etruscan nobles. The Etruscans lived between what is now Rome and Florence between the eighth century B.C. until they were absorbed by the Romans 600 years later.

The site is dedicated to the late Florentine archaeologist Riccardo Francovich, who worked to make Italy's ancient sites accessible to the public.

"Franco was an archaeologist but he refused to believe that archaeology should be shut up in a museum somewhere," Zucconi told ANSA.