Holiday apartment in Vetulonia: Discover Etruscan history

Vetulonia combines an archaeological museum with sites around the modern village and along the Via dei Sepolcri. At the Museo Civico Archeologico Isidoro Falchi, you can see Etruscan and Roman finds from excavations in the surrounding archaeological areas. The National Archaeological Site of Vetulonia comprises several sites near the modern village and along the Via dei Sepolcri, around 2 km from the village in the direction of Grosseto. Choosing your holiday apartment in Vetulonia therefore creates a destination where a museum visit can be combined with discoveries in the field.

Archaeology indoors and in the field

The Isidoro Falchi Museum is spread across seven rooms on two floors. The museum has a lift and a tactile floor guidance system. It also offers a series of educational workshops and themed tours for all visitor groups every year. Those choosing accommodation in Vetulonia can thus include a place where different approaches to the Etruscan and Roman past exist side by side.

The Via dei Sepolcri is an unpaved path that leads downhill to the monumental tombs of Vetulonia. The Tomba del Belvedere is also located at this historic site. It dates from the period between the end of the 7th and the 6th century BC and has a square chamber with a short entrance dromos. The path and the tomb architecture give the visit a clear landscape and archaeological focus.

The Tomba della Pietrera consists of two tombs arranged one above the other and is the largest tomb monument in Vetulonia. In Costa Murata, a rectangular building is visible that has been identified as a domus with a large atrium and a central cistern. The Tomba del Diavolino II is accessible via a long, partially open corridor. Together, these sites show different forms of ancient building and burial culture, without every destination offering the same type of visit.

Further details also make Vetulonia distinctive as a cultural destination: Casa Medea in Poggiarello Renzetti has a courtyard decorated with terracotta panels depicting a Greek myth. The excavations at Scavi Città uncovered a large part of the Etruscan settlement of Vetulonia, dating from the 3rd century to the middle of the 1st century BC. At the highest point of the town, around 30 metres of the imposing Arce walls can be seen.

Local history and travel planning

The church of Ss. Simone e Giuda was elevated to parish church status in 1334. The bell tower of Ss. Simone e Giuda was built in 1400. A car is preferable for travelling to Vetulonia; local public transport runs only a few times and mainly serves student transportation to Grosseto. When choosing your holiday apartment or holiday home, this transport situation is therefore a concrete factor in planning your own daily itinerary. Depending on the desired mix of museum visits, paths and tomb monuments, different itineraries may make sense.

Discover more destinations in the surrounding area

For further travel planning, you can also consider Buriano, Punta Ala, Roccamare and Tirli.

For the overarching travel overview: Castiglione Della Pescaia.