Museo Archeologico del Chianti Senese

The Museo Archeologico del Chianti Senese occupies the Rocca of Castellina and brings together around 200 objects from four Chianti communes: Castellina, Gaiole, Radda and Castelnuovo Berardenga. Its exhibits trace Etruscan history in the region and include archaeological finds from local settlements and tombs.

Why it matters

The museum presents about ten centuries of Etruscan civilisation in this territory, from its formation to its incorporation into the Roman world. It opened in the Rocca on 21 April 2006 following work by the Gruppo Archeologico Salingolpe and is managed by the Comune. The collection includes remains of the Montecalvario chariot and two Attic black-figure amphorae from the Poggino necropolis.

What to notice

The exhibits follow settlement in the area from prehistoric communities through the Etruscan period and Roman conquest, with a section on wine and oil in Etruscan Chianti. Finds include a carnelian scarab from Cetamura, a lion’s head from the Montecalvario tumulus, a sandstone head of a youth from Salingolpe, and terracotta sling projectiles from Poggio La Croce. The tower of the Rocca, built by the Florentines in the fifteenth century against Siena, forms part of the museum setting.

Context and history

The Gruppo Archeologico Salingolpe worked at local Etruscan sites for years before the Comune gave the collection a permanent home in the Rocca. The museum honours Lorenzo Brogi, founder of the group and a cultural councillor of Castellina. Its collections reflect archaeological work across the Sienese Chianti, including burials, settlements, sanctuaries and agricultural life.