The Solo Scale:

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If Italy is in your plans, but you want to avoid the main tourist destinations (think Rome, Florence, Venice), there’s an entire country waiting for you with the same charming Italian culture, food, and history. One of those places is Volterra.

Here in the hilltop towns, Volterra sits perched atop a height, with walled remnants from an earlier time. You can visit the gates, navigate the narrow and hilly streets, enjoy some incredible views, amazing food, and dive into history. If you want more of the last point, then there’s a great museum to spend part of your visit at. This is the Etruscan Museum at the Museo Guarnacci.

The Etruscans came before the Romans and co-existed until the Romans conquered them in approximately the 3rd century BC. And yet, many key elements of Roman culture derive from the way of Etruscan life.

At the museum, one of the key pieces on display is a peek into their burial customs and culture. That’s especially true thanks to the sarcophagi and urns that were used to decorate these resting places. Personally, I loved the room at the very top of the museums.

Not only did it have fantastic sarcophagis, but I loved the views of the Tuscan countryside that you could peek out and see. There’s also a local prison, but that didn’t ruin the views.

If you keep wandering, there’s a full recreation of a discovered tomb with the trappings that would be left in for the person journeying to the afterlife. Overall, there are 600 urns to be seen. Yes, it can start to get repetitive. However, it’s still fascinating to see the care that goes into the sculptures of this long-dead society.

Plus, Volterra isn’t like Rome or Florence. This museum has plenty of space to walk around and take your time exploring. There are a lot of stairs to ascend to the various floors of the museum, but there are elevators to help if you have mobility issues.

Want to learn more about the Etruscan way of life? For more details and to plan your visit, you can visit the museum’s website here.

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