Museo civico di Montaione – sezione archeologica
Archaeological museum in the Palazzo Pretorio in Montaione with a fossil whale, Etruscan and Roman finds, mosaics and the statue of Hercules.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The archaeological section of the Museo civico di Montaione is housed in the Palazzo Pretorio, one of the most important buildings in the historic centre, already documented in the mid-13th century as the seat of the community's government and of the podestà until 1772. The façade bears stone and glazed terracotta coats of arms of the families who governed the commune; in 1786 the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo stayed there. The ground and first floors house the museum, and the second floor the municipal historical archive.
The route follows a chronological order and begins with the large whale fossil, about 4.5–3.9 million years old, found near Castelfalfi in the 1970s. On the ground floor, the grave goods of the Etruscan and Roman necropolises can be seen, with the warrior stele of the 6th century BC, and fragments from the settlement of Poggio Carlotta.
On the first floor are displayed finds from the San Stefano site and from the Bellafonte pottery kilns, with a well reconstructed to scale, the polychrome mosaics of the Roman villa of Sant’Antonio and a section of the aqueduct of the Roman cistern of Muraccio. In July 2025 the marble statue of Hercules at Rest and a glirarium, a container for breeding dormice, from the excavations at Sant’Antonio were added.
Highlights
- Whale fossil about 4.5–3.9 million years old
- Etruscan warrior stele of the 6th century BC
- Finds from the Bellafonte kilns
- Polychrome mosaics of the Roman villa of Sant’Antonio
- Statue of Hercules at Rest and Roman glirarium
Permanent exhibition
- Sezione archeologica del Museo civico – Chronological route from the whale fossil to the Etruscan and Roman finds of the area, with mosaics, the Roman cistern and the statue of Hercules.
- Founded
- 2002
- Operated by
- Comune di Montaione
- Visitors per year
- approx. 289
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
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| Reduced | €1 |
| Combined ticket with the Gerusalemme di San Vivaldo (standard) | €6Reduced €4 |
| Single ticket to the Sistema Museale Empolese Valdelsa (21 museums) | €15Family €35 (2 adults and up to 3 children under 18) |
Accessibility
- Partially 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
The ground floor is accessible; the second floor is not accessible to wheelchair users.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum is in the Palazzo Pretorio, at Via Cresci 17–19, in the historic centre of Montaione.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | The Roman Cistern archaeological site is about 1 km from Montaione, to the south, along the road to Volterra. |
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