Etruscans and Veneti: Waters, Cults and Sanctuaries
English translation of the exhibition catalogue published by Fondazione Rovati
Venice, Palazzo Ducale, Doge’s Apartments, 6 March – 29 September 2026
Milan, Fondazione Luigi Rovati, 14 October 2026 – 10 January 2027.
Seas, rivers, lakes, and springs became preferred locations for the construction of water cults. The section dedicated to the Etruscans is structured starting from the sanctuary sites of the Tyrrhenian ports of Vulci and Pyrgi, then continuing with the healing water sanctuaries of Chiusi, Chianciano Terme, and San Casciano dei Bagni, as well as the small but monumental sanctuary of Marzabotto, built in the heart of Etruria Padana in correspondence with a spring. The Etruscan section concludes with finds from Adria and Spina, the most important northern Adriatic ports, where the presence of cult sites is not documented through monumental structures but only through epigraphic and archaeological evidence.
The exhibition itinerary then continues in the territory of the ancient Veneti. The theme of the sacred in the local context and its relationship with water is introduced through materials that present visitors with the religious sphere of the Veneti: San Pietro in Montagnon, present-day Montegrotto, closely connected to the healing power of thermal waters; the Dolomitic sanctuary of Lagole di Calalzo, linked to the presence of springs considered therapeutic; and the sanctuary of Este, which, located along a branch of the Adige, was dedicated to Reitia, the goddess of the river.
The final stop of the itinerary is the lagoon sanctuary of Altino, a port facing the Adriatic and Mediterranean routes and an international maritime outpost for the Veneti people, which gave rise to distinctive rituals through the integration of foreigners.