When Tuscany Belonged to the Etruscans - Visiting Volterra's Guarnacci Museum

In the Tuscan hill town of Volterra, a small museum safeguards the legacy of a lost global powerhouse, the Etruscans.

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If you were hanging around Europe sometime between 700 and 500 BC, you'd know that everyone who was anyone was Etruscan. They were the final word in all things commerce, trade, politics, art, and architecture, dominating life in what is now modern day Tuscany, Umbria, and Latium. Heck, before the Etruscans rolled into town, Rome was little more than a sewer filled settlement. The Greeks wanted to be as cool as them and everyone else wanted to kill them. Their growth, power, and influence was immeasurable, unstoppable. Until suddenly it wasn't. 

And now all that's left of them is a dusty museum in Volterra.

To be fair, the Guarnacci Museum in Volterra isn't actually the sole remaining evidence of the Etruscans, who suffered crippling defeats at the hands of the Romans between 509 and 264 BC. But a blogger has to take some artistic liberties now and then! Tributes to Etruscan life are included in many museums, especially around Italy. There are several in Tuscany and you can see a helpful list here. But the Guarnacci Museum in Volterra, often called the Etruscan Museum, is second to none in terms of its importance.

​Volterra was THE place to be if you were an Etruscan mover and shaker. The twelve independent Etruscan city states would gather as a league in Volterra and the region's iron ore-rich soil was especially prized by the Etruscans. A trip to Tuscany simply isn't complete without a stop here to learn about and pay tribute to the nearly-forgotten people who played such a pivotal role in shaping Western civilization. If you can look past the dust - and the lackluster displays - AND a lack of English signage, modern curation, and a few splinters of human bone here and there - you'll find some of the most precious artistic and archaeological treasures in all of Europe. 

Ombra Della Sera

Photo credit: https://mediterraneoantico.it

One of those treasures is the Mona Lisa of the Etruscan world. "Ombra Della Sera" (English: Shadow of the Evening) is an exquisite bronze carving of a young boy. His face is so beautifully detailed that his profile wouldn't look out of place in an Instagram portrait today but his body is comically elongated, gangly and sparse yet with a kind of casual nonchalance lending elegance to his posture. If you're a fan of modern art, you'll see strong foreshadowing of Alberto Giacometti's work in this piece.  

​Urna degli Sposi and funeral urns

Masters of maritime trade, the Etruscans accumulated wealth and lived the good life. Remnants of their joie de vivre can be found on their elaborately carved funeral urns.  They were festive and adorned in life and gosh darn it, they'd be that way in death too! Hundreds and hundreds Etruscan funeral urns are on display at the museum in Volterra. I'll admit that after the first few dozen, their sooty charm was wearing a bit thin. If you're not feeling especially motivated to study each and every urn in detail, don't beat yourself up too much. But do be sure to seek out "Urna degli Sposi" (English: Urn of the Spouses), a rare example of both a terra cotta urn and one that depicts two people on it.

​If you do happen to spot the large urn with a broken cover, carefully take a peek inside (without touching anything!) You'll see plenty of dust, a bit of rubbish, and a handful of long forgotten Etruscan bones.  

All the other must-sees

Other highlights of the museum include a partially excavated Etruscan road, a small collection of decorative military regalia, gorgeous gold jewelry (as equally Instagram worthy as Ombra Della Sera's haircut), centuries' worth of Roman coins, and a recreated grave site, all in a gorgeous building which houses incredible Roman mosaics.

If you've spent some time at Europe's powerhouse museums and galleries, the  Guarnacci Etruscan Museum in Volterra will initially look about as dated as the artifacts within. But it's well worth the effort to forgive the sometimes lackluster presentation in order to discover its many treasures. And it's an essential stop to become better acquainted with the ancient Etruscans as you make your way across what was once their stomping grounds.​
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Visiting Volterra's Etruscan Museum, Museo Etrusco Guarnacci: Practical Information

Admission costs and interpretive information

Standard admission: 8 Euros, 6 Euros for children and seniors.

Admission is free with the Volterra Card, which costs 16 Euros (13 Euros for seniors, and 24 Euros for a family -a much better deal for couples than two solo cards) and is valid for 72 horus. Volterra cards are available for sale at the museum and several other locations.

To get the most from your visit, it's imperative to either invest in the English language audio guide, which you can rent for three Euros at the museum or Rick Steves' Hill Towns of Central Italy guidebook, which includes a helpful mini-tour with descriptions of what you're seeing.  Truly, unless you speak Italian (and even then...) it's hard to gleam much information from the displays as is. 

Hours of operation

Daily 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Off season (November to mid-March)
10:00 am - 4:30 pm

Additional practicalities

There are small storage lockers near the front. You MIGHT be able to squeeze in a carry on sized backpack if it wasn't stuffed to the gills and still had some squish to it.

​The museum is not wheelchair accessible.
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