Etruscan and Roman Women: overlaid lives

Descending into Perugia Underground means journeying through time. Not only beneath street level, but into a city made up of layers, of lives that have rested one upon another, leaving marks, traces and silences. On 8 March, this space suspended between light and shadow becomes the setting for a female-centred narrative dedicated to women of the Etruscan and Roman worlds.

Among the decumanus, the domus and the imposing terracing wall of the acropolis, diverse and often contrasting stories emerge: slaves and queens, prostitutes and priestesses, wives and mothers, women of power and invisible women. Some were celebrated in ritual or political propaganda; others were almost erased from the historical record, leaving behind only fragments, everyday gestures and discreet presences.

The visit is conceived as an immersive storytelling experience. As you walk through the underground spaces, the archaeological landscape becomes a lens through which to understand the many conditions of women’s lives: from the body regarded as property to the central role within the family; from domestic life to the margins of power; and those women who, through quiet choices or decisive actions, left an indelible mark on history.