Gregorian Etruscan Museum

On 2 February 1837, Pope Gregory XVI created a unique museum devoted solely to Etruscan antiquities. The collection comprises mainly of artifacts exhumed from ancient Etruscan cities of significant importance. These sites form part of Papal State's territory and underwent extensive excavations leading up to the museum's inauguration. Additionally, the museum also includes prior artifacts inherited from the Vatican and various other collections.

The museum, post Papal State in 1870, only saw sporadic growth. However, these periods were notable: Falcioni's collection was acquired in 1898, followed by Benedetto Guglielmi's in 1935, Mario Astarita's in 1967, and Giacinto Guglielmi's in 1987.
The flourishing craftsmanship and unique artistic civilization documented in the displayed works can bring the Etruscan people's ancient history to life. This history dates back to the Iron Age around the ninth century B.C. and continues until its ultimate merge with the Roman state in the first century B.C.

Including antique pieces in bronze, glass, terracotta, ivory, and ceramics from Rome and Latium along with items from former Etruscan cities like Vulci, the Antiquarium Romanum portion reaches the Western Empire's end in the fifth century A.D.
The history of ancient painting becomes clear when analyzing a distinguished assortment of figurative vases from Greece, found mainly in Etruria, as well as those crafted in the Hellenised cities of southern Italy, known as Magna Graecia and Etruscan in a literal sense.
Girolamo da Carpi, Michelangelo and Pirro Ligorio finished the Tor dei Venti apartment of Pius IV Medici (1559-1565), while Pollaiolo designed the Palazzetto del Belvedere of Innocent VIII Cibo (1484-1492), where the museum is housed. The museum also offers a view of Bramante's grand double-helix staircase, which started construction in 1512.

Admiring the original sixteenth-century pictorial cycles in the halls is a real treat. From the frescoes by Federico Barocci and Federico Zuccari (1563) to the works by Santi di Tito and Niccolò Circignani delle Pomarance (1564), there's so much to see. Don't miss out on the mural works in tempera either, as they're of great interest and date back to the end of the eighteenth century.