The Department of Etrusco-Italic Antiquities carries out research activity centred essentially on the pertinent works and museum sectors, with the aim of their study, conservation and enhancement.
In this regard, it undertakes campaigns for cataloguing and photographic and graphic documentation, and for archival and bibliographic research. The restorations it promotes and directs not only aim at the conservation and better aesthetic appreciation of the object, both by visitors and by scholars, but also constitute equally indispensable moments of critical study for knowledge: materials, production techniques, and elements of the archaeological context and historic restorations are also investigated and documented.

The results of the research are communicated through specific monographs, following a consolidated tradition. Primary among these is the series of Catalogues, which provide for the systematic editing of the collection, divided into the various thematic sectors, and constantly increasing.
The publication of the figured ceramics took place through the historic series Vasi antichi dipinti del Vaticano (Antique painted vases of the Vatican), founded in the 1920s by Carlo Albizzati, pioneer of the study of antique ceramography.
These two are flanked by the series Documenti e Monografie, focusing on the centuries-old history of collections and studies, with special reference to archive sources, as well as thematic in-depth studies.
Other studies, among those promoted by the Department, are presented through articles, essays and contributions in periodicals, catalogues, and conference proceedings.

The Department handles relations and dialogue with the international scientific community – individual scholars and institutions – contributing to the advancement of research, both through the sharing of knowledge and through the organization and participation in study meetings and conferences.
Specialized research constitutes the cognitive base not only for the daily management of the collections but also for the communication to the public of the museum display, which makes use of a traditional didactic apparatus and a moderate multimedia approach.