The Etruscans and the Veneti. Water, Cults and Sanctuaries

At Hypogeum floor of Art Museum of Luigi Rovati Foundation a Milan, this major exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the fundamental role of water in the sacred realm and in the development of the societies of two great civilisations of the’Pre-Roman Italy: Etruscans e Venetians, during the 1st millennium B.C.. Seas, rivers, healing springs e thermal waters They emerge as privileged settings for contact with the divine: spaces of healing linked to myth, but also places for the growth of the community, transit and cultural exchange.

The exhibition highlights commonalities in the choice of materials, with a predominance of terracotta e bronze, and in the votive practicessuch as the deposits in water and the use of miniature objects. At the same time, differences become apparent in the monumental scale and the rich decorative claywork of the great Etruscan sanctuaries. The section Sacred landing places explores the river port and sanctuary of Este — associated with the goddess Reitia, to the writing and the traditional women’s spinning and weaving practices —, the major Mediterranean port of Pyrgi and the website of Altino. The section Miraculous waters, spread across the three domes of the underground exhibition, explores the healing springs with artefacts from the’Etruria (Vulci, Chianciano, Chiusi, Marzabotto) and by the Veneto (Montegrotto, The Calalzo Lakes), including overtime bronze sculptures from San Casciano dei Bagni which demonstrate advanced medical procedures e divination rituals. The exhibition is enhanced by an artistic installation by Mauro Ceolin.