We had seen advertisements that the Etruscan Museum of Cortona was hosting tours to the local Etruscan tombs.  Since we have lived here for over a year and never visited any of the many tombs inthe area we thought it would be the perfect chance to learn a little more about the Estruscans who used to populate this entire area.

We were supposed to meet up in front of the Etruscan Museum in Piazza Signorelli but there was a Cortona Classic Car Club meet going on that was totally clogging up all of the streets.



Alessandra's husband was part of the group there in the Piazza with their beautiful classic cars.  Click HERE to see photos of the Cortona Classic Car Club.

We ended up just gathering inside the museum, waiting for everyone to show up, and then walking over to Piazza Garibaldi where their little shuttle bus was waiting.

I had actually met our Etruscan tour group leader through Alessandra.  Carol is a fellow expat with a degree in art history who has been in the area for over 20 years.  She is amazingly knowledgeable about the Etruscans and leads the tours in both Italian and English.

The first site we visited was one we go by almost daily and never realized it was there.  It is the "Secondo Melone Del Sodo".



The site was originally found in 1928 when they were trying to divert the river to make room for the train line. 



Apparently it took them many more years to figure out it wasn't just one single tomb but a round mound that contained others.

What they found was amazing, it has been reconstructed and missing parts filled in to show the original walkway that used to lead to the top of the tomb.





There also used to be a covering that would have been on top of this tomb that would have been supported by wood but is now long eroded and gone.  It still is astounding when you see some of the detail that still exists in this staircase.  This dates back to 550 B.C.!

I imagine this is what the earth looked like even all those years ago...



This is part of the same tomb but on another side and the excavation was started in 1991.   Apparently quite a bit of goldsmith work was found in this particular tomb.



It is still being excavated, very slowly, as they not only wait for funding but for the local land owner to release the property to the state.



We had quite the interesting tour group.  Italians and English, plus a bus load of Czechs who met us at the tombs.



We then traveled a short distance across the road to Tomba I which was the first excavated Etruscan tomb in the area.



It is literally in the backyard of several properties.  Imagine if you were a landowner discovering you had an Etruscan tomb on your site and were required to sell it back to the state!



This tomb was discovered in 1909 and excavated in 1928-29.

Going down to the entrance of Tomba I

For the modern day archeologists this tomb is a bit of a disappointment. The man who excavated it supported it with bricks losing the appearance of the original structure.



Nonetheless there is an inscription in the wall that states who had lain here that is still visible some 2500 years later.



Carol explained that these tombs were definitely used by the Etruscan families in higher standing in society because of the elaborate stones (from other areas) used in the decor.  The areas were always considered sacred burial grounds and later were also used for shaft style tombs by less fortunate families.  Over the years the movement of earth from wind and rain eventually covered all the area and these tombs were forgotten until uncovered by man.



The last tomb we visited was near Mezzavia, a little west of Cortona on the road to Arezzo.  This tomb was discovered in the 1950s and dates back to 2 B.C. when the Romans had invaded the area and the Etruscans were no longer the dominant civilization.



The great thing about going with a tour is that you actually get to go into the site because many of them are kept locked.  The ironic part is that once in the site you can literally walk all over it, there aren't any barriers to keep you from damaging the area.



Carol told us that this site was a great discovery because it showed what happened to the Etruscans once they surrendered to the Romans and were infiltrated into the Roman society.  They no longer had the grandeur and wealth they once had and tombs became less elaborate and more practical even though this tomb still would have been used by an Etruscan with wealth at that time.



Unfortunately when the Romans took over the Etruscans they quickly integrated them into Roman society and hardly anything was left to tell us much about their time.  Only by these excavations (which many more are continually being found) are they able to study and discover more about the Etruscan period.  Tuscany was populated at one time by the Etruscans and Cortona was a very important city during those times.  It is crazy to be driving around and just surrounded by history that is so ancient!



The Mezzavia tomb was located in someone's olive grove with very beautiful views of the Val di Chiana.

During the tour we had met a British couple that lived in the area.  They asked us if we wouldn't mind stopping in Camucia on the way back and dropping one of them off for a market that was going on.  Before we knew it we had exchanged information and then were being invited for lunch! 

Jonathan is a chef and we were quite excited to taste his cooking!  When we arrived a little later with Sarah, he was busy making pasta from scratch.



Jonothan and Sarah live in the Val di Chiana in a beautiful little hamlet that can see Cortona on the far hillside. 

We sipped wine while chatting with Jonathan and Sarah and watching closely to see how Jonathan would make the pasta.



To me this is the epitome of what you would see in the kitchen of a chef...



Jonathan was quite at home in the kitchen and made making pasta seem almost easy. I wasn't fooled, after trying it a few times in the states I like to let the experts handle it.





I think we were a bit of a distraction, lingering around and drinking wine, but Jonathan was making the tagliatelle so fast I think he must have done it a hundred times before.



Tools of the trade...



At the market in Camucia he had found some truffles (tartufo) to use with the tagliatelle.



Fresh pasta only takes a minute or two to cook and here it is all ready for dressing.



Jonathan used a shaver, similar to what you would use for cheese, to make shavings of the truffles and spread it along with butter all through the pasta.



Yum!  The truffles weren't very strong, but I thought the pasta had a wonderful taste.

For the second course we had the loveliest platter of cheese and salami, it was all so very Tuscan!



Have I mentioned how much I enjoy eating food prepared by someone else?  Keith and I used to cook quite a bit in California and often had friends over for dinner, more often than we would go to someone else's house for dinner.  We still cook here and have learned quite a lot about the Tuscan cuisine but I still enjoy all of the different styles we have been exposed to by meeting all of these new friends.



The food looked so wonderful I just couldn't help taking pictures of how rustic it felt.
Without even trying a set table here in Italy looks like something you would see in a Martha Stewart book.





After lunch Sarah, who is an accomplished painter, took us to see her painting studio.



Near to their house she has a little area that is completely secluded and set away from everything.



Many of her pictures are inspired by Etruscan art.  She uses a mixed media that is really beautiful and imaginative.





It was so peaceful out in this little area I can only imagine how inspiring it would be to work out here.



We said goodbye with promises to invite them soon for a Mexican food lunch, which is something here everyone craves and is very hard to find. I think we may just have to have a huge "fiesta" and invite everyone we know here.  I better start hoarding the avocados now!

Thanks again Jonathan and Sarah for the wonderful lunch!

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