We had the privilege to visit the Biblioteca Briganti & City Archives with participants in the Siena Art Institute‘s Art & Society course.  The Biblioteca Briganti is part of the museum complex of Santa Maria della Scala, and is a treasure trove of resources, including the amazing volumes of Piranesi’s views of Rome, and many books related to Siena’s history, artists, and craftspeople. The City Archives contains centuries worth of records and artifacts related to Siena’s history, in a beautiful palazzo overlooking Piazza del Campo.  Their collection includes many one-of-a-kind antique maps of Siena, allowing us to trace the growth and changes of the cityscape over time.
#studyabroad #art #history
#Tuscany #Siena #library #maps #rarebooks