Walking arround
Turning right, going back towards the centre of the town you will pass beneath the old Porta Umbra. Take the left fork along via Roma until, on the left at no 24, you come to the 15th century palazzo Gabrielli which houses the archaeology museum and a fine collection of Etruscan artefacts found locally in tombs many of which are open to the public. Of particular interest is a Canopic ash urn appertaining to a high ranking female figure found in the same tomb with a smaller male Canopic urn placed in a position of secondary importance, making this a particularly interesting find. The female urn(attested by the silver earrings) sits on a throne carved from local stone and almost certainly had in its hands a terracotta model of a two edged axe which in Etruscan society of the late Orientalizing period (630-580 B.C.) was an unmistakable symbol of authority. Perhaps the aristocratic woman was the widow of a warrior chief who died while fighting elsewhere and consequently was not buried with his family. She may have taken on the leadership of the village temporarily during his absence and she and her son were buried in the same tomb perhaps at a distance of some 20 or so years. Another interesting find on display in the museum is the stone Cippus of S. Angelo used as a funerary marker for a tomb at the end of the 6th century B.C. It is one of the most significant examples of this type of object and depicts scenes of a Prothesis (the exposure of the deceased person), a funeral cortege, ritual dances and horsemen. By far the most exciting of all the finds in the area was the exceptional discovery of the tomb of the “Chariot from the Underworld” in October 2003. Decorated with a well preserved series of wall paintings in bright, strong colours, on the left hand wall of the entrance corridor there is a representation of a Quadriga (chariot), drawn by two lions and two griffons and steered by a demon with a fearful, surly, possessed look who is returning after having escorted souls to the underworld. Further along the corridor two male figures on a Kline (dining couch) represent the two deceased attending a banquet in the underworld. The tenderness they express for each other in their gestures suggests that perhaps they are a father and son, as their distinct age difference shows. On the side wall of the rear chamber is an extraordinary painting of a three headed serpent, representing one of the many monsters which populated the underworld in the Etruscan funerary imagery of the time. Another frequently depicted monster is the hippocampus on the end wall. Below the hippocampus stands an imposing sarcophagus in grey Volterra alabaster belonging to the head of the family. A reconstruction of the tomb can be seen inside the museum together with the numerous artefacts from the tomb and others found nearby. The tomb is part of the necropolis in the area known as Pianacce only a short distance outside the town along the road leading to the town of Cetona.
The actual tomb is open to the public every Saturday. Please book at the museum in Palazzo Gabrielli in Via Roma or tel. 0578/269261. The museum is open every day except Monday from 10,30 am to 12,30 am and 4pm to 7pm
Ticket including entrance to museum: 5 euro
Opposite the museum at no. 25, is the fine 15th century palazzo Piccolomini, it has a charming private courtyard which can only be seen if you are lucky enough to find the door open. Further along , on the left, you will see a strange door about one and a half metres above the road surface. It is called the “Porta del Morto”, - Door of the Dead - and is unusual in that it is more common in Umbria than Tuscany, and was said to have been used only when a coffin had to be taken from the house. On the right as you enter the piazza, at nos. 1 and 3 is the 14th century Palazzo del Podestà (Authority) with its particularly noteworthy façade and sundial.
