Musei Civici di Belluno (Palazzo Fulcis)

Palazzo Fulcis houses the historical and artistic collections of Belluno's civic museums. Paintings, sculpture and decorative arts connect the city's own artistic traditions with the wider history of Venetian art.

Why it matters

The civic museum grew from nineteenth-century donations and collecting, including the Giampiccoli bequest and the contribution of Florio Miari. The transfer of the art collections to Palazzo Fulcis in 2017 gave them a setting closely connected with Belluno's aristocratic patronage.

What to notice

Simone da Cusighe's painted panels represent the late-medieval tradition. Later holdings include paintings by Sebastiano and Marco Ricci, wood sculpture by Andrea Brustolon and views by Ippolito Caffi. The range of media extends the account beyond painting to carved wood, porcelain, small bronzes and other collected objects.

Context and history

The museum was established in 1872 and opened to the public in 1876. Palazzo Fulcis contributes an artistic history of its own: Sebastiano Ricci's mythological paintings for the Camerino d'Ercole include the Fall of Phaethon, Hercules at the Crossroads and Hercules and Omphale. Their original commission links the palace's decoration with the cultural ambitions of the Fulcis family.