Museo civico per la preistoria del monte Cetona

About the museum

The museum opened to the public in 1990 and was the first major goal of the “Progetto Cetona” (Cetona Project), launched in 1984 by the Comune di Cetona together with the Soprintendenza archeologica della Toscana (regional archaeological heritage office) and the University of Siena, after research at Belverde resumed. The Provincia di Siena, the Comunità Montana del Cetona (today the Unione dei Comuni Valdichiana Senese) and the Regione Toscana also took part in the project.

The museum is on the ground floor of the Palazzo Comunale and documents the phases of human settlement in the Monte Cetona area from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Bronze Age. The route opens with the evolution of the landscape, illustrated by geological and palaeontological evidence, and continues with traces of Neanderthal man in the caves, the occasional presence in the Neolithic and the Copper Age, and the intense settlement of the 2nd millennium BC, above all at Belverde, which forms the main core of the collections.

The museum is run in an integrated way with the Parco archeologico naturalistico (archaeological and nature park) and the Archeodromo di Belverde, where visitors can see illuminated and equipped caves and a reconstruction of a Bronze Age village and of a Middle Palaeolithic settlement in a cave.

Highlights

• Finds from the Belverde prehistoric complexes
• Traces of Neanderthal man in the caves of Monte Cetona
• Reconstruction of a Bronze Age settlement area
• Section on the geological and palaeontological evolution of the area
• Link with the Parco and the Archeodromo di Belverde

Permanent exhibition

• Esposizione permanente sulla preistoria del Monte Cetona – Prehistoric archaeological complexes in caves and in the open air, from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Bronze Age, preceded by the geological history of the area.

Founded

1990

Operated by

Comune di Cetona

Visitors per year

approx. 7,318

Admission & discounts

Admission is also free for residents of Cetona, students of cultural heritage and earth sciences, employees of the Ministry of Culture and ICOM members. For schools, the guided visit to the Museum, Park and Archeodromo is included in the ticket.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the Carta dei servizi (service charter), all areas of the museum are accessible to people with disabilities; the Archeodromo is fully accessible, except for the cave.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Thematic workshops, experiments and excavation simulation at the Archeodromo di Belverde; rest areas for children in the museum.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Palazzo Comunale of Cetona, Via Roma 37; the Park and the Archeodromo are at Belverde, Strada della Montagna, with entrance at the Centro Servizi (tel. +39 0578 239219).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Bookshop with publications on the territory and history of Cetona; rooms for temporary exhibitions, lectures, reading and audiovisual presentations, and rest areas for children.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit