The Bargagli Head and the Etruscan Collection
Data evento 12/07/2025 - 22/11/2025
Exhibition as part of the “Etruscans 85-25 project”, promoted by Regione Toscana, organised by Fondazione Musei Senesi, in collaboration with Comune di Casole d’Elsa and the Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata.
Saturday, 12th July 2025, 10:30 AM | Thursday, 19th September 2025, 5:00 PM | Saturday, 22nd November 2025, 4:00 PM
Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata of Casole d’Elsa presents a series of initiatives dedicated to the Collezione Bargagli, with a special focus on the extraordinary Testa Bargagli (Bargagli Head), a masterpiece of archaic Etruscan art. Between July and November 2025, the museum will host guided thematic tours and a lecture on Etruscan coinage as part of the The Etruscans 85–25 project.
In the heart of southern Etruria, the Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata of Casole d’Elsa invites visitors to rediscover the area’s archaeological heritage through a cycle of events centered on the Collezione Bargagli and the renowned Testa Bargagli, one of the lesser-known yet most remarkable masterpieces of archaic Etruscan sculpture.
The programme is part of the official calendar of the "The Etruscans 85–25 project", promoted by Regione Toscana and organised by Fondazione Musei Senesi, in collaboration with Comune di Casole d’Elsa and Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata.
Guided tours focused on the Testa Bargagli
Three special events will guide the public through the museum’s Etruscan collection, with particular emphasis on the Collezione Bargagli and the Testa Bargagli, which dates to the final decades of the 6th century BCE. The tours will also include access to the Tomba dell’Agresto (Agresto’s tomb), located just outside the historic center.
- Saturday, 12th July 2025, 10:30 AM
- Thursday, 19th September 2025, 5:00 PM
- Saturday, 22nd November 2025, 4:00 PM
Lecture for Le Notti dell’Archeologia (The Nights of Archaeology)
Gli Etruschi e le loro forme. Monete etrusche: dalla Collezione Bargagli al Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Siena (The Etruscans and their forms. Etruscan coins: from the Bargagli Collection to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Siena)
Wednesday, 24th July 2025, 9:30 PM
Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata, Casole d’Elsa
An evening of in-depth discussion on Etruscan coinage, featuring talks by Giacomo Baldini, Debora Barbagli, and Massimo De Benetti. An opportunity to learn about the history of coins and artifacts that passed from the Collezione Bargagli to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Siena, and to reflect on their significance for understanding the economic and symbolic world of the Etruscans.
The Bargagli Head, a masterpiece of archaic Etruscan sculpture
Discovered in the area of Casole d’Elsa, the Testa Bargagli (Bargagli Head) is a sculpture in Apuan marble dating to the final decades of the 6th century BCE, now on display at the Museo Civico Archeologico e della Collegiata. The work, believed to represent a deity, is striking in its formal perfection: the oval, elongated face; almond-shaped eyes; slightly parted lips; pronounced chin; ears adorned with large disc earrings; and hair held close to the head by a diadem.