Gli Etruschi

Hard to believe that we have reached my beloved Maggio...the month of May. The skies are stunning and the ground is a fire with poppies and wild orchids (photos to come, I swear). I took a little time this morning to gather myself and look back through my hundreds of photos, sometimes the only way I can remember all of the things I have seen. I happened upon some special images of a lovely February day...the day I tried to unlock the secrets of the Etruscans, gli Etruschi.

Fortunate enough to chaperone una gita, field trip, with my little ones from school, I was led by the fabulous MAEC: Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca in Cortona through the ancient Etruscan tombs that surround our town. Something a select few get to experience I must say.

The Etruscans lived here in Tuscany far before the Romans and have even been credited with building the foundations of Rome. Found in tombs and on city walls, the earliest inscriptions date back to 1000 B.C. I learned that much of the language has never been deciphered and texts were not left behind. Historians have gathered their knowledge of these ancient people through their discoveries of sacred burial tombs, strange melon shaped mounds that dot the landscape of the valley surrounding Cortona. The Etruscans are extremely well known for their cast jewelry and their pottery. In fact, the valley still to this day houses priceless treasures...farmers have been known to stumble upon a primitive shard of terra cotta while simply plowing a field. Enough about the history, let's get to the good stuff.

I got the chance to enter the super secret room where those very shards found are painstakingly piece together to make history. And the bronze cast jewelry. Absolutely fascinating, almost life changing, as I had brief dreams of throwing away the design career and becoming an archaeologist.

But you all know...that would never happen, but knowing the influence and inspiration is not very far away is great.
(For a tourist plug of Cortona, when you visit here (you know you will)...make sure you visit the MAEC, it is so well done and you will not be disappointed.)