Less than a year after the surprising archaeological discovery that took place in August 2022, the bronzes of San Casciano dei Bagni will find a home within the walls of the sixteenth-century Palazzo dell’Arcipretura in the Sienese village. Yesterday afternoon, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Rome, the deed for the acquisition of the future museum site was signed, giving the official start to the works for the renovation and adaptation of the structure.

One of the statues part of the San Casciano treasure
Courtesy San Casciano dei Bagni

The discovery of over twenty perfectly preserved ex-voto bronze statues from the Etruscan-Roman age immediately emerged as one of the most sensational archaeological discoveries of recent decades, in Italy and in the world. The will of the Ministry of Culture to ensure an excellent museum location for the treasure of San Casciano was expressed from the outset, with the authorization by the General Director of Museums, Massimo Osanna, for the purchase of the building mentioned above in the centre of the village Sienese.

Yesterday, with the signing of the acquisition contract, the first step towards the opening of the National Archaeological Museum of San Casciano was taken, in the presence of Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice, bishop of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza, the general secretary of the Ministry Mario Turetta, the general director of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape Luigi La Rocca and the general director of the museums Massimo Osanna. Osanna himself declared “that of San Casciano will be a contemporary museum, with an exhibition of the finds always fluid and in the making”, outlining the modern character of the future institution.

One of the statues found in San Casciano
Courtesy Palazzo del Quirinale

In the meantime, the bronzes will be exhibited from 23 June to 25 July in Rome, at the Palazzo del Quirinale, with the exhibition Gli dèi tornano. I bronzi di San Casciano. This is the first public exhibition of the treasure of San Casciano, which will be shown again this autumn from 2 September to 29 October.