Complesso Monumentale di San Francesco in Cuneo

The Cuneo Civic Museum is housed within the evocative setting of the San Francesco Monumental Complex, comprising the former convent and adjoining church, classified as a national monument and a rare architectural testimony of the medieval period in the city. Housed in the cloister and convent of the Church of San Francesco, the museum exhibits pre-protohistoric, Roman, early medieval and medieval artefacts, a collection of local sacred art and 19th and 20th century Piedmontese paintings, and an ethnographic section with tools, implements and traditional clothing from the Cuneo Alpine valleys. Most of the material that today constitutes the heritage of the town institution was collected, starting in the first half of the 20th century, on the initiative of Prof. Euclide Milano, thanks to the contributions of private individuals and civil and religious authorities; originally located in Palazzo Audiffredi, it was transferred and remounted in the Convent of San Francesco around 1980. At present, the Museum's internal itineraries wind their way from the oldest evidence of prehistory to those of the modern age and tell the visitor about the history of the area. The Museum houses a rich specialised library, up-to-date on all topics concerning cultural heritage. Topographic, cartographic and photographic archives are available to the public, including the Vacchetta Fund and the Scoffone Fund.