Archeology
…it was another metallurgical centre…which apparently played the decisive part in the launching of the civilization of the Etruscan city-states as we know them. This was the area of the Tolfa Mountains. Weidenfeld and Nicholson Living in a territory which has seen the succession of all civilizations from pre-history to the present, Tolfa’s people have always had an innate passion for archaeology. The first archaeological association was founded in Tolfa in 1866 under the name Honorable Society of the Citizens of Tolfa. It’s members included: Alessandro Bartoli, a local historian; Benedetto Pergi, the municipal secretary; Dr. Valeriani, the local doctor; and Giovanni Antomarchi, a Corsican officer of the French army stationed in Tolfa. Alessandro Bartoli obtained a permit from the pontifical authorities to begin archaeological digs and the members made some finds of notable importance - so much so that some of them were taken to the Gregorian Museum (now the Vatican Museum) in Rome, while others were sold to various other European museums, among them the Louvre, the Hermitage, and the British Museum.The German archaeologist Otto Bendorf and his colleague Wolfgang Helbig made contact with the Tolfa group. Helbig’s wife, Nadeja Schakowskoy, a wealthy Russian noblewoman, mediated the sale of some finds, in particular those of the Maestro of Tolfa - a famous Etruscan artist - to the University of Moscow and to Karlsruhe Museum. In the 1950s, Prof. Angelo Stefanini, an honorary inspector of the Belle Arti, (the Italian state body for the protection and conservation of artistic and cultural works) set up the first nucleus of a museum in the Palazzo Comunale or Town Hall. Its showcases held findings that had resulted from a series of archaeological digs in the necropolis areas of Pian Conserva and Ferrone and at the Grasceta dei Cavallari. The GAR (the Archaeology Group of Rome) set up a branch in Tolfa in 1975 and the municipal authorities made available the abandoned Capuchin convent for the GAR to organize archaeological field schools. These aroused passionate interest among many citizens from all social levels. The Tolfa Section of the GAR reached a membership of 95 people. They conducted field reconaissance, excavations, photography, and restauration work. Thanks to the GAR, more tombs were brought to light in the Pian Conserva and Ferrone necropolis areas, as were the Roman villa at Fontanaccia, and the ruins of New Tolfa in the adjoining municipality of Allumiere. In addition to field work, many local people have also researched in archives to help reconstruct our history. Some of their writings are listed below.
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