PITIGLIANO’S MUSEUMS
Pitigliano has always been one of the Maremma’s most important towns. It was home to Etruscans and Ancient Romans. It was the seat of power for the Orsini Counts and fought over by Siena and Florence and the Medici. It was and still is the seat of the local Diocese and a powerful municipality. In other words, Pitigliano has a lot of history, heritage and archaeological treasures – enough to fill three fascinating museums.
Palazzo Orsini is home to two of them, the Archaeological Museum and the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art.
Inaugurated in 1995, the Archaeological Museum is divided into two main collections, one from the excavations of the archaeological area of Poggio Buco, the other from excavations carried out in the ancient urban area of Pitigliano, otherwise known as the Martinucci collection.
The Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art displays works, vestments, objects and sacred books from the diocese of Pitigliano-Sovana-Orbetello.
Outside of town in the direction of Orvieto is the A.Manzi Outdoor Archaeological Museum. It’s Pitigliano’s newest museum dedicated to Alberto Manzi, a famous local teacher and past mayor. The museum is divided into the City of the Living, where you can see models of ancient Etruscan houses and read about their life, and the City of the Dead, where you can see real Etruscan caves, roads and necropolises.