The invitation from Italian banks and foundations of banking origin to the eighteenth edition of the Invito a Palazzo event is scheduled for Saturday 5 October. Art and history in banks and foundations of banking origin, promoted by the Italian Banking Association and which gives visitors the opportunity to admire the works of art from every era, the artistic and architectural heritage and the furnishings kept in the historic and modern headquarters of banks, banking foundations and the Bank of Italy.
“When you get to eighteen editions of the same event, you can say that the idea is good and the result is appreciated. Invito a Palazzo represents a day of celebration of culture, in which the passion and commitment with which we all work to make the time and place in which we live better are at the centre. Making accessible places that are preserved with cultural sensitivity and civil and social passion even when it would be economically more convenient to abandon the "historical" locations and move to new ones. This initiative represents an opportunity to enhance a significant historical and artistic heritage”, commented the president of ABI Antonio Patuelli.
100 palaces participate in this year's event, including the headquarters of the Bank of Italy in Rome – Palazzo Koch -, 70 of 24 banks, and 30 of 30 foundations of banking origin in 62 cities throughout the country, while there are 5 branches that are opening their doors to the public for the first time.
For the third consecutive year Banks and Foundations will organize guided tours which will be illustrated by young school students and who will try their hand as guides to tell visitors the story of the architecture of historic and modern buildings, from the Renaissance to the Baroque and contemporary ones. The "Guide for a day" initiative is a cultural project, supported with the help of the USR - Regional school offices - as part of the MIUR School-Work Alternation Project, which aims to disseminate art among children schools, as explained in the official press release.
Among the banks that will participate in the initiative there is UniCredit which from 10.00 to 19.00 will open some of the most prestigious and representative buildings in terms of historical and architectural interest belonging to banks and foundations of banking origin operating in Italy: the UniCredit Tower in Milan, Palazzo Magnani in Bologna, Palazzo De Carolis in Rome or the Palazzo Branciforte in Palermo, among many others. With this initiative, the group underlines its support for culture understood as an engine of sustainable social and economic development and a tool for dialogue for the circulation of ideas, for the promotion of social cohesion and a sense of belonging.
Also Monte dei Paschi Bank will open three venues to the public: Palazzo Salimbeni in Siena, Palazzo Strozzi in Mantua and Palazzo dei Montivecchi in Padua, while Intesa Sanpaolo will host visitors who are interested in visiting some of its most beautiful rooms: the Gallerie d'Italia - Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano in Naples, the Palazzo di Residenza in Bologna, the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà in Udine, the Gallerie d'Italia - Piazza Scala in Milan, the Savings Museum in Turin among others.
