Museo Etrusco Guarnacci

About the museum

The Guarnacci Museum dates from 1761, when the abbot Mario Guarnacci (Volterra 1701–1785) gave his considerable archaeological collection to the city of Volterra, together with a library of over 50,000 volumes. The gift prevented the dispersal of the heritage and gave the city a cultural institution of the first rank. Guarnacci, a scholar and author of “Le Origini Italiche” (Lucca 1767), drew attention to Volterra from scholars such as Giovanni Lami, Scipione Maffei and Anton Francesco Gori, who made the materials of his collection known.

The first seat was the Palazzo Maffei, in today’s Via Matteotti; on the founder’s death in 1785 the collection and library were moved to the 13th-century Palazzo dei Priori. In 1877, having grown through donations, purchases and research carried out by its curators, the museum was housed by the director Niccolò Maffei in the Palazzo Desideri Tangassi, where it still stands today.

The route is chronological: it begins on the ground floor with prehistory and the Archaic period and continues up to the Hellenistic age on the second floor. The museum is known for the alabaster cinerary urns typical of Volterra, over 600 of them displayed on the first floor by the subject of their reliefs (Greek myths, the journey to the afterlife, banquet scenes); for the votive bronze “Ombra della sera” of the 3rd century BC; for the lid of the Spouses’ urn; and for a coin cabinet with over 3,000 coins.

Highlights

• “Ombra della sera”, bronze ex voto of the 3rd century BC
• Over 600 cinerary urns in alabaster and terracotta
• Lid of the Spouses’ urn, 1st century BC
• Stele of Avile Tite, 6th century BC
• Coin cabinet with over 3,000 Greek, Roman and Etruscan coins

Permanent exhibition

• Collezioni archeologiche etrusche – Chronological route from prehistory and the Archaic period to the Hellenistic age, with the alabaster cinerary urns and the “Ombra della sera”.

Founded

1761

Operated by

Comune di Volterra

Visitors per year

approx. 70,042

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for residents of the Comune of Volterra, students from the school district, teachers and group leaders, authorised tourist guides, journalists and ICOM members.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator
• 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

Building with access from the ground floor and an internal lift.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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