Museo Civico Basilio Cascella

The Museo Civico Basilio Cascella preserves the artist's former chromolithographic studio in Pescara. The brick building is also a family museum, with works spanning five generations of painters, sculptors and ceramic artists.

Why it matters

Basilio Cascella established his studio in Pescara and made it a centre for art and publishing. The workshop became a museum in 1975; the city received the property in 1966, and since 2017 the Fondazione Genti d'Abruzzo has managed it. The museum traces the artistic work of the Cascella family across generations.

What to notice

The collection brings together paintings, ceramics, photography, lithography and publishing materials. Basilio's former workshop preserves the setting of the family's artistic activity, while works by his sons and later generations show the range of their practice. The brick courtyard and glazed maiolica details connect the building itself with the collection.

Context and history

In 1899, Cascella established a chromolithographic workshop in Pescara and began publishing L'Illustrazione abruzzese with Vincenzo Bucci. The periodical included contributions by writers and artists. Cascella lived at the studio until 1929, when he moved to Rome after his election as a deputy. His family continued to live and work there until the property was donated to the city in 1966. The civic museum opened in 1975.