Palazzo Mazzola - Archivio Storico e Museo del Palio

Palazzo Mazzola is a Renaissance residence in Asti that now houses the municipal historical archive and the museum dedicated to the Palio di Asti.

Why it matters

The palace connects the city's architectural history with its documentary and civic memory. The historical archive preserves records reaching back to the tenth century, while the Palio museum traces a horse race documented before 1275.

What to notice

The building has two wings arranged around a garden and orchard, with arcaded levels, a monumental staircase and surviving frescoes. Sandstone window frames and portals contrast with the brick façades. The museum displays historical Palio banners and printed materials alongside the palace's Renaissance architecture.

Context and history

The site has Roman-era foundations, while the visible palace developed from a medieval domus. The Mazzola family remodelled it in Renaissance style around 1516. From 1710 it housed the Opera Pia Buon Pastore, a charitable institution. The municipal historical archive moved into the building in the twentieth century, and the Palio museum later joined it.