In every way the Getty Villa was second best. Our first choice of a museum to go to in LA was LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). So, the second day we drove (slowly) up Highway 1 through Malibu to the Getty Villa. One goes there to see collections of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman artifacts, architecture, art, and gardens.
The building and gardens impressed us.
Pools and fountains complete the formal gardens.
Sculpture lined the water, or, in this case, reclined on islands in the pool.
Even the koi in the pond were remarkably beautiful.
We were drawn to the “Young Boy with a Theatre Mask”, a Roman sculpture that was unlike anything we’d ever seen.
One of our favorite things may come as a surprise: the replica of the marble floor from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum. It is made with 4,000 pieces of marble.
A few years ago, we took a wonderful trip to Turkey and Greece and visited numerous archaeological sites and museums. If you can afford the time and expense, then go see Etruscan, Roman, and Greek collections and archeological sites in Turkey and Greece. If you can’t take the time and expense, then the Getty Villa is second best.
April 2013
simpletravelourway 
I love the reclining figure near the pool. He looks like he’s about to sit up and walk away.