This museum is comprised of 16 rooms containing works from a variety of periods. Of particular interest are the Etruscan archeological findings such as the Etruscan lamp (IV century B.C.) and the funeral furnishings (including a number of jewelry pieces) from the Melone II tomb in Sodo. There is also an important Egyptian collection which includes pieces which date back as far as 2000 B.C. There are noted paintings by Luca Signorelli, Pinturicchio and Bartolomeo della Gatta. A room is dedicated to Gino Severini which houses his "Motherhood" painting (1916).
In 1727 Abbot Onofrio Baldelli donated its museum and its "bookcase" to the Etruscan Academy, as soon as constituted to Cortona for will of its grandsons, and of other noble young people. The collection of Baldelli Abbot was a typical example of the erudite activity of the intellectuals of the 1700's, for which whichever branch of the knowledge was worthy of attention and study. The collections spaced therefore from the archaeological materials, to the coins and medals, from the books to press to manuscripts, from minerals to the rare and exotic plants and to the scientific instruments.
To the original nucleus, other objects of varied type joined very soon, at the same time, also the Library enriched the own bibliographical collections continually, becoming in short one of richest of the Tuscany. The Etruscan Academy was developed above all in fact through the two main branches of activity, the Museum and the Library, one of the main poles of attraction of the historical and artistic searches and the political-social culture in Cortona.
Hours: From April 1 to October 31: - 10 am - 7 pm From November 1 to March 31: - 10 am - 5 pm. Closed on Mondays.