"Etruscans and Venetians. Waters, cults and sanctuaries" on display in Venice
Venice is confirmed as the international cultural capital with the opening, from 6 March to 29 September 2026, of the exhibition "Etruscans and Venetians. Waters, cults and sanctuaries" (Etruschi e Veneti. Acque, culti e santuari), set up in the rooms of the Doge's Apartment in the Doge's Palace.
The exhibition offers a journey into the first millennium BC to explore the role of water in the Etruscan and Venetian religious world: a generative, therapeutic and identity element, a symbol of exchange and connection between civilizations.
Water as a common thread
Seas, rivers, springs and thermal complexes are at the center of the exhibition, which brings together two great civilizations of pre-Roman Italy. Water emerges as a space for worship, healing and encounter, in a story that intertwines spirituality, hydraulic engineering and commercial relationships.
The exhibition brings together over 700 artifacts from Italian museums and recent excavations, many of which are exhibited for the first time. Loans of exceptional value document the most advanced state of archaeological research, with an exhibition designed for a wide audience, from scholars to international visitors.
The exhibition itinerary: from the Etruscans to the Venetians
The section dedicated to the Etruscans opens with the Head of Leucothea da Pyrgi, on loan from the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, a powerful symbol of the sea and the protection of sailors. This is followed by the "Sacred Landings" of Etruria with a focus on Vulci and Pyrgi, including the complete exhibition of the votive deposit of Banditella, one of the oldest testimonies of open-air worship linked to a spring.
Ample space is reserved for the healthy sanctuaries of Chianciano, Chiusi and above all San Casciano dei Bagni, with a nucleus of bronzes from the most recent excavations of the ancient thermal complex, presented to the public for the first time.
The final part of the Etruscan section leads to the northern Adriatic, with Adria and Spina, places of landing and cultural exchange.
The itinerary dedicated to the Venetians highlights the originality of local religiosity. Among the most significant finds are the bronze disc of Montebelluna and the edge of lebete of Altino with an inscription in the Venetian language. The thermal sanctuaries of Montegrotto and Lagole di Calalzo tell of cults related to therapeutic waters, while Este and Altino testify to the opening up to Mediterranean and north-Adriatic routes.
A shared cultural project
The exhibition is curated by Chiara Squarcina and Margherita Tirelli and is organized by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia with the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Etruscan and Italic Studies. Created in collaboration with the Luigi Rovati Foundation in Milan, it will continue with a second exhibition chapter in Milan from 14 October 2026 to 10 January 2027.
The exhibition ends with the contemporary installation "We are bodies of water", a project by Giovanni Bonotto that combines scientific research, art and environmental reflection on the Venice Lagoon, strengthening the dialogue between past and present.
The exhibition represents a unique opportunity to discover the roots of Italian civilization through artifacts of the highest scientific value, in one of the symbolic places of the Serenissima. For travellers and lovers of archaeology, history and culture, "Etruscans and Venetians" is a central event in the 2026 cultural calendar of Venice, the city of water par excellence, where the theme of the relationship between man and water takes on an even deeper meaning.
About the exhibition
Title: "Etruscans and Venetians. Waters, cults and sanctuaries" / "Etruschi e Veneti. Acque, culti e santuari"
Venue: Doge's Apartment, Doge's Palace, San Marco 1, Venice
Dates: from 6 March to 29 September 2026
Hours: every day, until March 31 09:00-18:00 (last admission: 17:00); from 1 April 09:00-19:00 (last admission: 18:00).
Tickets: Admission to the exhibition is included in the entrance ticket 'The Museums of St. Mark's Square' (Doge's Palace, Correr Museum, National Archaeological Museum, Monumental Rooms of the Marciana National Library). To visit only this exhibition: full ticket 13.00 euros; reduced 9.00 euros.
Information: tel. +39 041 2405225.
