In Naples, there is what can be defined as the most beautiful archive of ancient books in the world, a magical place that collects 500 years of life that are perfectly accessible and which in 2016 was transformed into a multimedia museum that tells some of the most fascinating chapters of Italian history.

The reason why the archive is so important is that the entire history of the Banco di Napoli itself coincides with that of the city and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies itself.

The roots of the Banco di Napoli Foundation date back, in fact, to the first half of the 16th century, when in 1539 the activity of the Monte e Banco di Pietà officially began, the first of the 8 Neapolitan public banks which must be considered as the forerunners of the Banco delle Due Sicilie, founded in 1809, and its successor the Banco di Napoli born in 1861.

The Archive is of extraordinary interest for the economic, credit, political, cultural and artistic history, not only of the Kingdom of Naples, but also of the European States and the entire world.

(UNESCO)

Here the story can really be seen first-hand thanks to the obligation to document in writing the so-called “payment reasons” in which the reason for each transaction was specified in detail. A real “treasure” for art historians and history investigators who here, in over 100 km of shelving, can find unpublished information on works created by illustrious artists, unusual aspects of the daily economy and hundreds of thousands of personal stories, famous or unknown.

Precisely some of the most exceptional discoveries made over the years have become the pillar of the museum activities of the archive which saw the light in 2016 under the name ilCartastorie. An ambitious project that has resulted in a permanent multimedia journey that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the story told by the volumes, between video projections that literally dance among the books and interactive “games” that allow them to discover incredible stories.

Among the most exceptional ones told along the way, we can mention the section dedicated to the Prince of Sansevero, the famous client of perhaps the most famous work of art in Naples: the Veiled Christ. In fact, in a document preserved in the Archives, the amount of the work commissioned to Giuseppe Sanmartino is reported, the considerable sum of 500 ducats, while in another written confirmation is given, by the hand of the Prince himself, that even the veil which covers Christ was “made from the same block as the statue”.

Or, another room reveals the mystery of the Radolovich Altarpiece, named after the Croatian merchant who apparently commissioned the work from the famous painter Caravaggio. A work that no one had ever seen and which was believed to have never been created until a “payment reason” was found in the Archive which attested to its existence and which, following further research, even allowed us to reconstruct the appearance of the famous painting.

The Historical Archive of the Banco di Napoli, owned by the Banco di Napoli Foundation, is located in the sixteenth-century Palazzo Ricca and the adjacent Palazzo Cuomo in the heart of the historic center of Naples. The writings of the ancient Neapolitan public banks, due to their richness and uniqueness, were registered, in May 2023, in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register together with the most relevant documentary heritage for the conservation of the history of humanity.

A place that absolutely must be visited at least once in your life; the only historical archive in the world capable of enchanting all age visitors thanks to the beauty of its rooms surrounded by thousands of volumes and a multimedia path that perfectly combines scientific value and entertainment.
While, if you love “investigating” history, let yourself be guided in consulting some precious manuscripts, you could be the solvers of a historical mystery!

The Secret

At the Banco di Napol Archive, you can even discover some of your ancestors! In fact, between 1901 and 1929, many Italians abandoned their country and the flow of money to and from their homeland generated the need for regulation which the government entrusted to the Banco di Napoli. Thus, truly incredibly, in the ilCartastorie museum it is possible to search for the surnames of emigrants, over 9000 entries, discovering the year of emigration and the place of arrival of each of them.

Useful Info

Fondazione Banco di Napoli
Via dei Tribunali 214
80139 Napoli
Tel. +39 081 449400

Entrance: 10 euro, reduced 5 euro