Palazzo Collicola - Visual Arts / Museo Carandente

Palazzo Collicola combines an eighteenth-century aristocratic residence with Spoleto's collections of modern and contemporary art. The Carandente gallery, decorated noble apartment and specialist library give the palace several distinct cultural identities.

Why it matters

The collections reflect the city's engagement with twentieth-century art, including the Premio Spoleto and Giovanni Carandente's work. His 1962 exhibition Sculture nella città brought modern sculpture into Spoleto's streets and squares.

What to notice

The noble apartment preserves painted interior decoration, contrasting with the modern works elsewhere in the palace. Sculpture and drawings by the Spoleto-born Leoncillo Leonardi form an important part of the collection, with ceramics central to his practice. Works by artists including Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Ettore Colla and Pietro Consagra place local artistic history within an international context.

Context and history

Sebastiano Cipriani designed the palace for the Collicola family. Construction began in 1717, and the residence hosted Charles of Bourbon in 1734. It later became municipal property. The modern-art museum opened here in 2000, with a subsequent rearrangement in 2010. The Carandente library adds a documentary dimension to the artistic collections.