The Archaeological Museum of Sarteano is located inside Palazzo Gabrielli, a 16th century building which incorporates clear pre-existing medieval elements, such as the so-called “dead man’s door”  in the second room. The door, situated high above road level, was accessible via a ladder that was removed at night to offer more security. Once it had lost its everyday use the door was only opened to let the coffins pass and load them on a cart. The ceiling of the second room is decorated with the emblem of the Gabrielli family and numerous fireplaces adorn the rooms on the first floor. In the basement, that once served as cellars, the foundations are directly resting on a bank of local travertine. The exhibited finds were discovered in Etruscan tombs cut in the same rock creating a suggestive parallelism.

FROM MUSEOSARTEANO.IT