National Etruscan Museum | Villa Giulia Private Tour
Enjoy a private tour of the magnificent 16th-century Villa Giulia, which houses Italy’s National Etruscan Museum. Home to over six thousand artifacts, it is the largest and most important collection of Etruscan art anywhere in the world.
The Villa and its beautiful formal gardens were built for Pope Julius III under the direction of Vasari and Michelangelo. After the pope’s death, his luxury villa fell into disrepair.
It wasn’t until 1889, after the Risorgimento, the demise of the Papal States and the Unification of Italy, that it became the National Museum for Italy’s pre-Roman antiquities, designed to bring together the vast number of cultural, artistic, and archaeological treasures from the ancient Etruscan and Faliscan civilizations dating back some three thousand years.
- Explore Villa Giulia and the world’s largest collection of Etruscan art
- Wander the beautiful marble halls of Pope Julius III's luxury papal villa
- Admire the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, Apollo of Veii and other highlights
- Learn about the mysterious, pre-Roman, ancient civilizations of Italy
- Enjoy the glorious gardens with terraces, temples, and water fountains
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Discover the ancient and mysterious pre-Roman civilization of the Etruscans on this private Villa Giulia tour. Your top-rated guide will meet you in front of the National Etruscan Museum, housed inside Villa Giulia, and take you straight through security, and begin this unique and fascinating tour.
The Etruscans lived on the Italian Peninsula between the Arno and Tiber rivers from the tenth to the first centuries B.C. We know they traded with the Greeks, and are especially famous for their terracotta funerary monuments.
The magnificent Villa Giulia is a masterpiece of Mannerist architecture. It was built for the scandal-ridden Pope Julius III, who reigned for just five years. He is famous, or rather infamous, for how little he interested himself in the Church and politics, and how much he indulged his tastes for fine living, fine dining, and fine art. His dilapidated villa was taken over by the state and became the Etruscan Museum after the Unification of Italy in the late 19th century.
Nowadays, the collection is spread across two floors and the pieces are displayed according to age and origin. You’ll see sculptures, jewelry, pottery, and funerary monuments that give us fascinating glimpses and insights into a long-lost civilization. The Sarcophagus of the Spouses is probably the most famous relic on display. Made of terracotta, it shows a smiling, married couple with arms around each other, both with plaited hair, reclining on their own tomb.
Other unmissable pieces are the large terracotta statue known as the Apollo of Veii and the Pyrgi Tablets: gold tablets featuring 2500-year-old texts in Etruscan and Phoenician.
You will also explore the Villa’s glorious landscaped gardens; a refreshing green oasis.. Among the terraces and water fountains, you’ll find an ancient Nymphaeum with a stunning mosaic floor situated in a water garden and a replica 4th-century temple called the Temple of Alatri. The gardens also house the museum’s restaurant. At the end of the tour, your guide can leave you to relax and refresh, or you can exit together.
- Private guide
- Skip-the-line tickets
- Villa gardens and grounds
- National Etruscan Museum
- Nympheum
- Temple of Alatri
- Sarcophagus of the Spouses
- Apollo of Veii
- Pyrgi Tablets
- The itinerary described above is a suggested order of the various experiences. These may vary according to your personal requests or preferred starting time.
- Offered in: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Please specify under “Additional notes” if you wish to book the tour in a language other than English.
- Tours run rain or shine. We recommend coming prepared if rainy weather is expected.
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When you book a LivTours Private Tour or Experience, you are guaranteed a dedicated, expert guide that allows you the flexibility to start your tour at a time which is convenient for you, making planning easy. Our private tours ensure that you will get a tailored experience to meet all your needs so we go at your pace, perfect for families with younger children, elderly, or individuals with accessibility needs. Please be advised that all private tours begin at a base price starting at two people*. Prices are inclusive of entry tickets where applicable. *Some Ferrari private experiences are inclusive of one person only.
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