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Museum of the Archivio di Stato di Siena with 106 Biccherna panels from 1258 to 1682 and a documentary exhibition on the history of the city.
November 14, 2026 – January 16, 2027
Parchment fragments from medieval chivalric romances, reused as covers for notarial registers, tell the story of books that were dismembered and reused. The exhibition presents the results of the research project FRASI.
The Biccherna panels originated as covers for the account books of the Biccherna, the most important financial magistracy of medieval Siena, from 1257 onwards. Other offices and institutions of the city later also commissioned them.
From the second half of the 15th century the panels became true paintings, entrusted to the leading Sienese artists, including Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Giovanni di Paolo and Francesco di Giorgio. The collection, kept in the Archivio di Stato di Siena, comprises 106 panels dated from 1258 to 1682. They are displayed in full across five rooms, three of which also serve as archive storage.
The documentary exhibition accompanies the panels with two sections. The first presents documents on the history of Siena from 735/736 up to Italian unification, with illuminated codices, the Archive’s oldest parchments, and materials on Saint Catherine, Saint Bernardino and the Palio. The second is dedicated to Dante, with documents on characters from the Divine Comedy and on Boccaccio’s will.
Admission is free.
| Groups (10+ people) | –Booking is mandatory for groups of at least 10 people (as-si.comunicazione@cultura.gov.it); visits are possible with or without a guide. |
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Assistance for people with disabilities is listed among the services; contact the Archive for details.
| Time needed | approx. 1.5 hrs |
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The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Good to know | The visit is accompanied by the Archive’s custodial staff and lasts about an hour and a half. Visitors must stay with the staff for the whole route. Booking is optional for individual visitors. |
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