The Museo Nazionale Atestino was established to illustrate the characteristics of the ancient Venetian civilization during the 1st millennium BC, in dynamic relationship with the Etruscan, Celtic, and Roman worlds. Since 1876, Este has revealed the most substantial evidence of this civilization, now displayed in the 11 rooms of the Museum; showcasing daily life, artistic expressions, religious practices, and funerary rituals to reconstruct society and highlight similarities and differences with the present day.

Many contexts and objects of great prestige, as well as considerable beauty, are featured: from Neolithic pottery, represented by one of the oldest decorated vases, to the famous 'situla Benvenuti' defined by Giulia Fogolari as the 'epic poem of the Venetian peoples'. The situla, a bronze sheet vessel, displays in its figurative decoration scenes of life and celebrations of the most important Este families of the 7th century BC.

From the Roman era, monumental remains of the city remain, historical evidence of its deep connection with Augustus who founded a colony of veterans from the Battle of Actium in Este, when, with the defeat of Antony, he effectively became the 'Augustus' prince. The bond between Augustus and Este is glimpsed not only from the funerary monuments of the Actiaci, but also from the magnificent golden medallion with the emperor's effigy. The tomb of an ophthalmologist surprises not only for the incredible medical instruments, but for the extremely rare example of a pocket sundial, a travel sundial made of bone and bronze.