Tomba François

About the museum

The Tomba François is located in the Ponte Rotto necropolis at Vulci and is dated to 340–330 BC. It was discovered in 1857 by the archaeologist Alessandro François, to whom it owes its name, and it is one of the best-known hypogea of Vulci. It belonged to the Etruscan Saties family.

The tomb has a complex plan, with a long dromos and seven funerary chambers. The painted cycle of the inverted T-shaped chamber is unique in late-Classical Etruscan painting: the frieze juxtaposes episodes from Greek myth, with themes linked to the Trojan War, and moments from the heroic history of Vulci, Etruria and Rome, in a deliberately anti-Roman context.

In 1863 most of the frescoes were detached at the wish of Prince Alessandro Torlonia and transported to Rome, to the Villa Albani, where they now form part of the Torlonia Collection. In the tomb, managed by the Fondazione Vulci within the natural and archaeological park, the funerary architecture and traces of the painted cycle remain.

Highlights

• Hypogeum with a long dromos and seven funerary chambers
• Inverted T-shaped chamber with a painted cycle unique in late-Classical Etruscan painting
• Frieze juxtaposing Greek myth with the heroic history of Vulci and Rome
• Ponte Rotto necropolis in the Vulci park

Operated by

Fondazione Vulci

Admission & discounts

According to the Ministry of Culture's listing: standard €8, reduced €5. The tomb is reached by applying at the ticket office of the Parco naturalistico e archeologico di Vulci.

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