La Cinquantina: Archaeology and Rural History
Accommodation in La Cinquantina
La Cinquantina brings together archaeological evidence and insights into rural life in the past. Villa Guerrazzi and two museums with distinct focuses are useful reference points: the Museo Archeologico di Cecina explores the history of the Cecina Valley, while the Museo della Vita e del Lavoro della Maremma Settentrionale focuses on the rural way of life. There is also the villa’s public park and a reconstructed Etruscan tomb in the museum garden. This makes it possible to explore the area both through its long history and through the specific tasks and objects of everyday life.
Location and orientation
Villa Guerrazzi is in La Cinquantina, about three kilometres from Cecina, on the road from San Pietro in Palazzi to the sea. The public park of Villa Guerrazzi is in the village of La Cinquantina. The Museo Archeologico di Cecina is housed in the villa, which is also called Villa della Cinquantina. The Museo della Vita e del Lavoro della Maremma Settentrionale is also in La Cinquantina, at Via Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi. These location details help distinguish the two museums: one is in the villa, while the other is at its street address in La Cinquantina.
Archaeology at Villa Guerrazzi
The Museo Archeologico di Cecina’s exhibition traces the history of the Cecina River valley from the Palaeolithic to the Roman period, with particular attention to the Etruscans. This broad time span places individual archaeological subjects in the context of the valley’s history. Specific exhibits include the complete grave goods from Tomb A in the Casa Nocera necropolis at Casale Marittimo.
A tomb from Casaglia dating to the late 7th century BC has been fully reconstructed in the museum garden. It was discovered in 1932, later dismantled, and reassembled in the park of Villa Guerrazzi. The grave goods from Casa Nocera and the reconstructed tomb from Casaglia represent two different approaches to archaeology: grave goods on the one hand, and the reconstruction of a tomb on the other.
Rural life at the museum
The Museo della Vita e del Lavoro della Maremma Settentrionale focuses on rural life from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. Furnishings and tools document rural life in the surrounding area. The exhibition includes equipment for cleaning grain and processing grapes, including a grain winnower, a drum sieve, and an electric grape destemmer.
These objects bring different types of work to life: grain and grapes feature not only as subjects, but also through the equipment used to process them. Combined with the exhibition’s historical context, they offer a glimpse into everyday life that differs clearly from the archaeological exhibition in the villa.
Highlights for planning your trip
When planning your visit, you can consider which period and types of exhibits interest you most: the Museo Archeologico di Cecina spans the period from the Palaeolithic to Roman times and highlights the Etruscans; the Museo della Vita e del Lavoro focuses on rural life from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. Check the latest visitor information for the museums and Villa Guerrazzi before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Sant'Ilario, Cecina, Piombino, Gagno, Campiglia Marittima, San Vincenzo, Suvereto, Rosignano Marittimo
For the main travel overview: Livorno.
