The François Tomb of Vulci, a masterwork of Etruscan painting, is now formally part of the Italian State's cultural heritage. It will be permanently housed at the National Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia. This is the end of a century-long process that began in 1921 when the Italian government indicated interest in acquiring the monument. The €15 million sale represents one of the Ministry of Culture's largest asset acquisition investments in recent years. The successors of the Torlonia, Sforza Cesarini, and Gaetani families, who own the work, collaborated to make the deal feasible. Archaeologist Alessandro François discovered the tomb on Prince Alessandro Torlonia's domains in the necropolis of Vulci (Viterbo) in 1857. The tomb is carved into the tuff and consists of 37 painted panels and two cippi located in the entry passage. It was created between 340 and 320 BC and is one of the finest specimens of Etruscan painting, as well as ancient painting in general. Among the most famous paintings is the panel representing the sacrifice of Trojan prisoners at Patroclus' tomb: Achilles stands in the middle, and the Greek story is reinterpreted according to Etruscan sensibility by the presence of the demon Charun, accompanied by the winged figure of Vanth.