A Tourist in Rome - Etruscan Museum
| Location: | 41.91838, 12.47769 At the eastern end of Via di Valle Giulia, at the northwest corner of Villa Borghese |
| Metro: | Flaminio, you can ride Tram 2 north from there to reduce your walk. |
| Time: | about 90 minutes |
| Cost: | €8 |
| Hours: | Tuesday - Sunday, 8:30 AM - 7:30 PM |
| Photos: | Prohibited inside the museum, permitted in the courtyard |
The National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia is the most important museum of Etruscan civilization and features some of the most important creations of this civilization and also Greek products of the highest level, both from between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. The Etruscans were a civilization that predated the rise to power of Rome, known for their excellent artwork. The last three kings of Rome, from 616 BC to 510 BC were Etruscans. The last of those kings was especially hated by the Romans, and his overthrow led to the formation of the Roman Republic. The Etruscan civilization was essentially destroyed by the growing Roman Republic during the 4th century BC due to the hatred Rome felt toward the Etruscans, as well as their thirst to expand territorially.
The most famous work in the museum is the terracotta funerary monument of the life-size Bride and Groom, the so-called Sarcophagus of the Spouses, in which an Etruscan man and his wife recline on a couch as if they were at a dinner party. This vast museum is an enjoyable and educational journey, even if not fully explained to the layperson. I'm quite sure a person could spend several days in the museum in order to see everything in it. For me, a bit more than an hour was enough to glean the highlights.
