ETRUSCHI E VENETI. ACQUE, CULTI E SANTUARI

Within the Appartamento del Doge at Palazzo Ducale, the exhibition explores water as a sacred element, a place of contact between the human and the divine, and a source of shared ritual practices. Seas, rivers, lakes, and springs shape a geography of worship that spans the Etruscan world and that of the ancient Veneti. From Etruscan port and thermal sanctuaries, where the sacred emerges through exchange, healing, and votive offerings, the narrative continues into Venetic territories, among curative waters, river deities, and mountainous landscapes. The final destination is the lagoon sanctuary of Altino, a space of encounter and cultural integration. In closing, a contemporary tapestry by Giovanni Bonotto creates a symbolic bridge between past and present, entrusting water with the role of a timeless narrative thread.

Featured image: Head of Leucotea. From Temple A at Pyrgi, ca. 350 B.C. (detail)