The lower ground floor houses a beautiful circular chamber with a central pilaster known as the ‘oliera’, as in the past this space would have preserved oil.
This room currently exhibits the ‘Mythology’ section where, through the painted vases belonging to the Museum’s collection along with realistic reconstructions of the ‘Divine’ army belonging to Achilles, the Homeric mythology of the Iliad is specifically documented. The next section leads to the old cellars in the building; here the scenographic effect of the gallery, excavated into sand stone, perfectly ties in with the reconstructions of the VII century BC sepulchral rooms recovered in the Necropolis of Foce – Tolle.
There are different types of sepulchral chambers presented, Ziro style tombs, Chamber tombs and Cassone Tombs along with the human like cinerary urns known as ‘Canopic’ jars. At the end of this gallery there is an imposing figure belonging to the Mater Matuta, which introduces the permanent exhibition documenting the role of the woman in Etruscan society, where the importance of their role is explored as it was a role very different from any other coeval civilisations.
Of particular importance are the cinerary items depicting the winged goddess Vanth, who is shown holding the deceased’s scroll of destiny in her hand who is situated at her side, while one of her wings appears to almost embrace him. Outside of the gallery, there is a section that is dedicated to temporary exhibitions, which is currently showcasing the history of the Etruscan Civilisation through the ceramic vases they used throughout the various stages of their history.
This floor is completed by the section covering the Etruscan language, which is explored through videos and informative reproductions together with objects that were recovered during the excavations of tombs, testifying to the elevated cultural standing held by the Etruscan aristocrats in the territory.