Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
4
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
This museum houses one of Italy's best collections of Etruscan artifacts.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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- Massimiliano PNovara, Italy47,081 contributionsBeautiful collectionWhen embarking on a visit to this museum, I never expected to be able to admire such a vast collection of Etruscan finds, among which the immense collection of urns stands out. The museum occupies four floors of a historic building in the center and the visit route starts from the top floor and goes down. The exhibition techniques also change depending on the rooms, some more ancient with many elements close together and others more modern which display a smaller number of elements allowing for greater valorisation. I consider the visit to the Etruscan museum to be one of the most significant visits that can be made in Volterra. Entrance included in the Card.Visited August 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten February 17, 2024
- Ivan DFrisco, Texas160 contributionsOverwhelmingly impressiveI have never heard about Volterra, until a couple of local friends took me and my impressions are: must see city and must see museum. The only "negative point" is that the museum has so many artifacts from Etruscan era, that more appropriate would be to display it in a three time larger space. Don't take me wrong, the museum is not small at all. The city of Volterra is equally fabulous.Visited November 2023Traveled soloWritten March 8, 2024
- Paola BFabriano, Italy5,148 contributionsA must in VolterraThe city was full of tourists but there weren't many in the museum, and to say that the collection of Etruscan finds is of great value. The layout has been revised and the visit is made more enjoyable; one room was left with the old furniture, a nice find that shows how the exhibition criteria also change over time. The two most famous pieces, the shadow of the evening and the urn of the spouses, have deserved prominence but many other pieces are very beautiful. The collection of alabaster urns has works of great value but the mastery of Etruscan art is also found in the small things of everyday use which enchant with their finesse; in this sense I was struck by the handle of a lid, a banal thing transformed into a work of art. A most enjoyable visit. You go up in the elevator to the top floor and from there you go back down, also taking the stairs if desired.Visited May 2024Traveled with friendsWritten May 16, 2024
- Sofia V22 contributionsRecommended visitBellissimo museo! Very well organized and with lots of finds. My 14 and 11 year olds also liked it (they usually complain all the time!!!) They were fascinated by the coin collection. Beautiful rooms of the cinerary urns with mosaics under the floor! Beautiful view of the surrounding panorama from the top floor terrace. I felt happy, enthusiastic and full of love for archaeology and art. Una visita molto consigliata!Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 3, 2024
- FinocchiasGaiba, Italy142 contributionsEtruscan Museum with a huge collection of sarcophagi.Volterra was one of the main cities of the Etruscan federation and all the surroundings are rich in necropolises. From these comes most of the collection present in this museum. A huge number of urns and sarcophagi, with their very interesting contents. A fundamental stop for the visit to the city. Very beautiful gold jewelry ornaments, the Etruscans were masters in this art. With the Volterra card a family can visit this museum and 5 other historical attractions at the current price of 30 Euro.Visited September 2024Traveled with familyWritten September 10, 2024
- Luciano SMilan, Italy1,963 contributionsA Shadow... amazing and much moreThe highlight of this museum is certainly the bronze statuette known as the Shadow of the Evening, a 2,300-year-old masterpiece that amazes with its simplicity and elegance. But how can we not be equally amazed in front of the Urn of the Bride and Groom, or the wonderful "carvings" in alabaster and stone of the hundreds of cinerary urns, a unique collection in the world? Today the rooms are well-kept after the restorations and the Museum really does honor to Volterra and the Superintendence.Visited October 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten October 11, 2024
- Erika CMilan, Italy41 contributionsSo many food for thought. Instructive and pleasantAbsolutely worth seeing! The jewels on display are of incomparable beauty, they give the pay to modern ones. Huge premises, hundreds of beautiful pieces on display, competent and kind staff.Visited August 2024Traveled soloWritten January 4, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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845 reviews
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299
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Daydream18089404215
6 contributions
Jan 2024 • Solo
The times are completely wrong. The museum is open every day from 10.00 to 16.30, last entry at least 40 minutes before. The museum is big and you can't visit it for half an hour. Hours will change between the first and second week of March
Thank you
Thank you

Written January 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melinda G
Charlottesville, VA56 contributions
Jun 2022
First off, we love all things Etruscan, therefore we loved the museum in Volterra. Yes, there are loads of sarcophagui but they vary and show the interests of their occupants or the Etruscan mythology, so I found them interesting. And the hauntingly beautiful statue of the young Etruscan boy is worth the price of admission. But we were allowed to peek at the street they are unearthing behind the gift desk! What a find! Can't wait to return and see what else they dig up!
Written July 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cianfry
Rome, Italy251 contributions
Aug 2023
The collection is beautiful, the alabaster urns are amazing, some beautiful Attic vases with red black figures from the 5th century. B.C..
The new museographic arrangement follows modern exhibition criteria, attentive to the public and to solicit their interest. Also beautiful and didactically effective is the choice to reconstruct the nineteenth-century exhibition methods in two rooms, with black wooden furniture, endless sequences of almost identical jars with all the variations of the series.
The new museographic arrangement follows modern exhibition criteria, attentive to the public and to solicit their interest. Also beautiful and didactically effective is the choice to reconstruct the nineteenth-century exhibition methods in two rooms, with black wooden furniture, endless sequences of almost identical jars with all the variations of the series.

Written August 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gian Luca B
Lugo, Italy69 contributions
Aug 2023
There are countless materials on display. The section of alabaster cinerary urns is particularly rich. At the museum there is also the famous Shadow of the Evening, a bronze votive statuette made with an incredibly modern style

Written August 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GloriaAnchio
Philadelphia, PA173 contributions
Jul 2022
Having been to this museum in 2012, I read the reviews and wondered whether I should spend time there again. My memory was of a poorly lit, boring museum, with few explanations. I had gone because the Etruscan civilization had been considered quite advanced, but from this museum all one could gather is that they had an unusual focus on funeral urns It appears that since 2015, changes have occurred. The lighting is excellent (track lighting with high intensity bulbs). The interiors have been painted in appropriate colors (and the place no longer looks drab). there are more explanatory signs and everything in Italian has been translated into Italian. Having said all this, I would caution that this is not a museum for children, and even for adults, the visitor should have some interest in ancient civilizations. I would expect most people would spend one hour there. My suggestion to the museum authority is to create a 7-minute video showing where the funeral urns were found, discussing Etruscan civilization and having some narrator or scholar discourse on some of the more celebrated holdings of the museum. Also Msgr Guarnacci is discussed as he started the collection and it is mentioned that he had acquired a vast holding of books that are part of a library. One does not see the library, so it would be nice to show some of the most important books in a video like this.
Written July 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WyoLaw53
Boerne, TX191 contributions
May 2022
This was a nice museum, and you can learn about the history of the Etruscans. The only critique would be that the entire museum focuses on the Etruscan burial boxes, or funerary urns. Beautifully and intricately decorated, yes, but that was really it? We spent about thirty minutes in the museum, and then were done. If funerary urns and boxes are your thing, this'll be heaven to you, if not? You'll think the price of admission was a bit much. ha.
Written February 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlbertSalichs
Manresa, Spain24,073 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
Museo Etrusco Guarnacci is the Etruscan museum located in the medieval city called Volterra, in Tuscany Region, in the center of Italy. It is a place, where you can see a lot of Etruscan tombstones and you can learn a lot about the region and the history. Really interesting for history-lovers. Also there are some other objectsblike mosaics or statues and at the end you can see an sculpture of Alberto Giacometti.
Written May 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cfuller603
Washington DC, DC889 contributions
Oct 2019
We were lucky to have a local guide walk us through the highlights in the hour we had before the museum closed. Otherwise we'd have been there for hours and not appreciated as much. Therrs just so much to see here but no signs in English. Definitely recommend the audioguide. There are 3 floors with the ground floor showing some of the oldest tombs and artifacts. It's hard to believe the level of art devopment by the Etruscans in the 8th to 1st centuries BC. They had contact with the Greeks and very highly developed till conquered by the Romans.
Written January 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RoaminChicagoBoys
Fort Collins, CO115 contributions
Aug 2013 • Family
While we understand Italy is the seat of the Catholic faith, and we understand that our family is not accepted in many parts of the world, it is however 2013 and so we simply were not prepared for the slap in the face we received at this museum. Upon walking in, we read the ticket prices, and perhaps being used to Chicago museum definitions of "family", as two adults with children, we smilingly asked for a family pass entrance. The woman behind the desk however got very angry and yelled at us in Italian that a family is made up of a mother and a father, and NOT two men. She then turned her head away to cut off any further communication. So, we left, disappointed and upset. While we could certainly respect the museum's policy in how it defines entrance fees, it could have been handled differently. It was upsetting to us and our son and put a pallor over our perception of Volterra.
Written September 1, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LKWendel
Westfield, NJ2,283 contributions
Sep 2019 • Couples
This museum is three levels filled to the top and bottom with Etruscan artifacts. It can be a bit overwhelming but be prepared to spend about 1-2 hours surveying all the work. Most of the artifacts only have Italian descriptions but there are select few with English explanations. You can really get a appreciation for how advanced and pre-Roman culture was and not really seeing a lot of remains of this culture in other parts of Europe, so best to take advantage of that in visiting this museum. We found the first floor (ground floor) fascinating. It includes a vast collection of funerary urns (dating from the 1st-7th century BC). These were designed to contain the ashes of cremated loved ones and each urn is tenderly carved with unique scenes into the Etruscan life. They were married pieces meaning the casket on the bottom (which contained the remains) and an alter piece on top which is supposed to be a sculpture of the departed. Since there were lots of ruins upon discovery, some of the pieces are mis-matched. The two remaining floors contain impressive mosaic tiled floors and originally painted ceilings and the top floor features re-create gravesites. This was one of the most impressive and unique museums we visited in Tuscany and highly worth a few hours visit.
Written September 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Non saprei... potresti contattare il museo 😃
Written May 22, 2018
Because you have seen the original in the museum - what is in your eyes the best replica of the Ombra Della Sera to buy on Internet? Thank you
Written March 17, 2018
In my opinion you can find the best replica on the Website „ombradellasera“
Written March 17, 2018
In questo museo spiegano alcuni fatti accaduti nel medioevo? Tipo le crociate, la povertà, la peste, la fine dell'impero romano, i templari ecc? Sono appassionato del medioevo.
Written September 7, 2017
No è un museo monotematico sulla storia etrusca, particolarmente importante nella zona, con vari siti visitabili e di grande interesse, da Volterra stessa a Populonia, qualche chilometro più in là.
Written September 17, 2017
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