A day in Vetulonia: among Etruscan and Roman remains, and a beautiful museum

We are at the seaside in Castiglione della Pescaia, but we decide to spend a day hunting for history. Our destination is the nearby medieval village of Vetulonia. This small inhabited center was known until the end of the nineteenth century by the name of Colonna or Colonna di Buriano, before Isidoro Falchi’s excavations no one knew where ancient Vetulonia was located. Vetulonia in Etruscan times was one of the main centers of this area overlooking Lake Prile.

The village has a typically medieval appearance with some interesting churches and an imposing fortress. There are also the remains of part of the ancient Etruscan walls.

After a short tour of the village we decide to visit the Archaeological Museum of Vetulonia. It is a beautiful little museum that is also very interesting for kids. Statues, ornaments, commonly used objects, vases, helmets and coins from the Etruscan and Roman era are on display. Such objects allow the visitor to have a picture of how the ancient Etruscans lived and to understand the sophistication achieved by this ancient civilization, and also to understand the vastness of trade in antiquity.

We stop for lunch in a characteristic restaurant just outside the museum where we eat excellent pasta with wild boar ragout. Then we continue the visit to the two archaeological areas near the town. One of the two is crossed by a suggestive Roman paved road that passes through the remains of shops and houses.

Finally we move to the area of the Etruscan tombs, which is located a few kilometers outside the town. Here there are several Etruscan tombs including the monumental tombs of Pietrera and Diavolino.