ilCartastorie – Museum of the Historical Archive of the Banco di Napoli
ilCartastorie: The Lost Voices in the Paper Giant
What happens if a bank archive stops being a list of numbers and becomes the city's novel?
The result is ilCartastorie, the museum of the Historical Archives of the Banco di Napoli. Housed in the monumental Palazzo Ricca, this is not an archive like the others. It is a "paper giant," an immense collective memory preserving 450 years of Neapolitan life, from 1573 to today.
Its treasure? Millions of causali (payment descriptions).
These are not simple receipts, but micro-stories that recount the daily life, events, dreams, and endeavors of an entire city and all of Southern Italy. Hidden within these pages is the payment record to Caravaggio for the Seven Works of Mercy; the alchemical commissions of the Prince of Sangro can be traced; and the lives of 17 million people can be read.
"ilCartastorie" is the multimedia journey that gives voice to this labyrinth of paper. It is an immersive experience that transforms ancient documents into a living narrative.
Visiting this place means listening to the lost voices of Naples, discovering that the most fascinating history lies not only in its monuments but is written, in ink and passion, in one of the world's largest bank archives.
INFO
ADDRESS: Via dei Tribunali, 214, 80139 Napoli NA
PHONE NUMBER: +39 081 449400
WEB http://www.ilcartastorie.it/
