Villa Giulia: Rome's National Etruscan Museum

Updated on October 1, 2026

Villa Giulia houses the National Etruscan Museum (ETRU), the largest collection of Etruscan art in the world, on the northern edge of [Villa Borghese](/fr/attractions/villa-borghese). Pope Julius III had this country residence built between 1551 and 1553, to designs by Vignola, Giorgio Vasari and Bartolomeo Ammannati; in 1889 the Italian state set up its museum of pre-Roman antiquities from Latium, southern Etruria and Umbria here. You will see the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, the Apollo of Veii, the gold Pyrgi Tablets and thousands of vases, bronzes and pieces of jewellery, in rooms far less crowded than those of the big museums in the centre. A ticket costs €13 (price checked in October 2026).

Highlights

The Sarcophagus of the Spouses

This almost life-size terracotta couple, reclining as if at a banquet, was modelled around 530-510 BC and found in the necropolis of Cerveteri. The man has his arm around his wife's shoulders; look at their smiles and at the delicate hands, which probably once held objects now lost.

The Apollo of Veii

This painted terracotta statue (around 510-500 BC) stood on the roof of the Portonaccio sanctuary at Veii, alongside other deities shown in the same room. It depicts Apollo striding forward in close-fitting drapery, with the smile typical of archaic art.

The Pyrgi Tablets

These three engraved gold sheets, found in the sanctuary of Pyrgi, the port of Cerveteri, carry a dedication in Etruscan and Phoenician. They are one of the few bilingual texts that help scholars read the Etruscan language.

The nymphaeum and the gardens

Behind the main building, a semicircular courtyard leads to Ammannati's nymphaeum, a sunken space on three levels with loggias, staircases and a fountain at the bottom. The villa's gardens also hold a full-size reconstruction of an Etruscan temple, built in the late 19th century from the remains found at Alatri.

The Ficoroni Cista and the Castellani collection

The Ficoroni Cista is a cylindrical bronze casket engraved with scenes from the voyage of the Argonauts. The Castellani collection, given to the state by a family of Roman goldsmiths, brings together ancient pottery and gold jewellery, along with their own creations inspired by these models.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Full price €13, €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25, free for under-18s of any nationality (prices checked in October 2026). Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. Tickets are sold at the ticket office or online through the official CoopCulture ticketing site and the Musei Italiani app. An audio guide in French, English or Italian costs €7 at the museum bookshop. The neighbouring Villa Poniatowski, an annexe of the museum, is closed for works; it is due to reopen in autumn 2026, with no exact date announced.

How to get there

Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9, 00196 Rome, north of Villa Borghese park. Trams 2, 3 and 19. Flaminio metro station (line A), then about 15 minutes on foot; the station is at the end of [Piazza del Popolo](/fr/attractions/place-du-peuple-rome).