The Etruscan Museum of Populonia represents the oldest museum institution in the Val di Cornia. Inaugurated in 1943 according to the wishes of Giulia and Tommaso Gasparri, it hosts the archaeological finds belonging to the family’s private collection. In the first half of the 20^th century, the Etruscan necropolises of Baratti and Populonia were first discovered. The first nucleus of the museum’s collection consisted of finds which were dedicated by the Superintendence of Etruscan Antiquity to the Gasparri family as a finder’s reward (equal to a quarter of the value of the finds), since the recent archaeological discoveries came from properties in their possession. In the 1950s and 60s, the collection was enlarged with finds coming from government excavations of the necropolises, as well as objects found out of their original context in the fields and sea of Baratti. In 1985, in occasion of the celebrations surrounding the “Year of the Etruscans,” the museum was renovated. In 1988, it was moved into the building of the former oil mill of the Castle of Populonia, which it occupies today. 

In 2015, the museum was completely reconceptualized and reorganized according to modern standards of exhibitions, museology, and accessibility. The new exhibition is the result of an attentive study which allowed for the reuniting of objects coming from various tombs and archaeological contexts. As a result, the museum retraces the history of the Etruscans of Populonia through the remains of their material culture, or rather the very objects which they used on a day-to-day basis.