5 Best Sights in Tuscany, Italy

An extraordinary collection of Etruscan relics is made all the more interesting by clear explanations in English. The bulk of the collection is comprised of roughly 700 carved funerary urns. The oldest, dating from the 7th century BC, were made from tufa (volcanic rock). A handful are made of terra-cotta, but most—dating from the 3rd to 1st century BC—are done in alabaster. The urns are grouped by subject, and, taken together, they form a fascinating testimony about Etruscan life and death.

The Archaeological Museum in the Convento di San Bernardo, just outside the Anfiteatro Romano, exhibits a fine collection of Etruscan bronzes. The ticket allows admission to the Anfiteatro Romano.

This museum contains Etruscan and Roman sculpture and pottery excavated from around the area. According to cognoscenti, the Etruscan collection is one of the best in Italy.

At the end of the 11th century, the bishop of Pistoia began construction on this palace. One thousand years later, it houses several collections. The Museo della Cattedrale di San Zeno contains spectacular items from Pistoia's cathedral, including ornate pieces in gold, rings with jewels the size of small eggs, and solemn, powerful statuary. The Museo Tattile lets you touch various local buildings built to scale. The Percorso Archeologico contains Roman, medieval, and Etruscan archaeological finds uncovered during a 1970s renovation. Its treasures are showcased with simple elegance in a warren of corridors and caves below and austere rooms above. Note that a guide accompanies you while you wander the complex, and wandering days and times are limited.

Most of the artifacts found during the excavations of Chiusi's Etruscan sites are now on display in this small but expertly laid out museum. Relics include elegant Etruscan and Greek vases, carved Etruscan tomb chests, and a number of the strange canopic jars with anthropomorphic shapes that are particular to this area.

The tombs themselves can be seen by arrangement with the museum—sometimes. (You're accompanied by museum personnel, and staff shortages have led to tomb closures.) These underground burial chambers are still evocative of ancient life, particularly in the Tomba della Scimmia (Tomb of the Monkey), where well-preserved frescoes depict scenes from ordinary life 2,500 years ago. The Tomba del Leone (Tomb of the Lion) and Tomba della Pellegrina (Tomb of the Pilgrim) might also be open at set times during museum hours.