Palazzo Santi (Cascia)

History of Palazzo Santi in Cascia

The palazzo was the town residence of the Santi family, which reached the height of its wealth and political prestige in the early 17th century. The 1599 earthquake seriously damaged it. Pierluigi Santi, the most influential member of the family, had it restored and partly rebuilt during the 17th century.

Later the building changed use. For a time it housed a religious community, which made alterations and created a small church dedicated to Sant'Emidio within the complex. In the following centuries the palazzo was the home and surgery of the town doctor, then a Carabinieri barracks and a prison. It was then a hotel school until 1979, the year of the earthquake, and remained closed for restoration. Today it is owned by the Comune. It opened to the public as the civic museum in 1997, together with the church of Sant'Antonio Abate.

What to see in Palazzo Santi

On the ground floor, the ticket office, which is also a bookshop, is fitted with the furnishings of an old town pharmacy. From there, two rooms of the archaeological section follow. One displays the grave goods of a Hellenistic tomb from the 3rd-2nd century BC, found at nearby Maltignano. The archaeological material on display spans the period from the 8th century BC to Roman times.

On the main floor, the most valuable works are displayed by type. The sculpture section stands out, with works in wood, terracotta, stucco and stone dating from the 13th to the 15th century. Among them is the Madonna di Poggioprimocaso, known as the "Madonna rosa" (Pink Madonna), an imposing example of local polychrome wooden Madonnas. The museum also holds other polychrome wooden statues, panel paintings and canvases from different periods, rare liturgical vestments, and Renaissance and 17th-century furnishings and furniture.

One section presents paintings by Lazzaro Baldi and Domenico Corvi. A small room is devoted to Cardinal Fausto Poli, a native of the area and powerful secretary to Pope Urban VIII. The art collection also includes the bequest of the Frenfanelli family.

Visiting Palazzo Santi

The museum is part of Cascia's museum circuit. A visit to Palazzo Santi can therefore easily be combined with Sant'Antonio Abate, which is lower down in the town. Guided tours are available, and booking is recommended.

The museum has followed seasonal opening calendars. In one past season, for example, it reopened in spring after its winter break, opening on weekends and some holidays. Hours therefore change during the year, so check them using the contact details in the information box on this page before setting out. After the 2016 earthquake the museum remained open, unlike many others in the Umbria-Marche earthquake area. Work was later started to update its multimedia equipment.

Where Palazzo Santi is located

Palazzo Santi is in the historic center of Cascia, in the upper part of Piazza Aldo Moro. It overlooks the stairway leading to the Basilica di Santa Rita, so it can be reached on foot from the main points of the center. By car, take the SS 209 Valnerina state road and exit at Cascia.

Around Palazzo Santi in Cascia

A short distance away is the church of Sant'Antonio Abate, part of the museum since 1997. Built at the end of the 14th century on an older Benedictine settlement, it was damaged several times by earthquakes and remodeled in the first half of the 18th century. It keeps fresco cycles: the Stories of the Life of Saint Anthony Abbot, by the Maestro della Dormitio di Terni, and the Stories of the Passion of Christ, by Nicola da Siena. It also holds the sculptural group of Tobias and the Angel.

Other palazzi stand in the historic center: Palazzo Frenfanelli, home of the Comune, and Palazzo Carli, which houses the town library. The other museums in the area are gathered on the page about museums in the Sibillini Mountains.