The Etruscan tomb of Montagnola
The impressive burial site is located in Sesto Fiorentino
The tomb of Montagnola is situated in Sesto Fiorentino near Quinto Alto, in the park of a private villa, and is one of the most important Etruscan monuments of the Orientalising period in all of northern Etruria. The beehive tomb (with a false dome) dates back to the 7th century BCE and was discovered in 1959 by Giacomo Caputo.
It consists of an uncovered corridor (dromos) and an internal one enclosed by a 70-metre diameter mound, leading to a rectangular vestibule and two side cells. A long narrow passageway leads to the sepulchral beehive room with 3-metre high walls and topped with a dome, 5 metres in diameter. At different points, traces of coloured plaster have been found (red and light blue), and remains of graffiti and inscriptions.
The Tomb of Montagnola is one of the most impressive examples, with the nearby grave of Mula, of noble burials that characterise the middle section of the Arno. The few artefacts that have been discovered in the archaeological sites are now exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Florence.
