Museum of the City

After the destruction of the Farnese stronghold of Castro, Pope Innocent X transferred the bishop's seat to Acquapendente and the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre became the Cathedral. The private palace of the Oliva family was purchased by the curia and became the Bishop's Palace from 1649. Along the Via Francigena, the most important palaces of the Renaissance period line the main streets and squares of the town, including Palazzo Oliva, now the seat of the Museum of the City.

The Museum of the City constitutes a museum system that promotes territorial identity through exhibits documenting its history, art and culture. It extends over three floors and is enriched with collections of sacred and civic art, ceramics from archaeological excavations, paintings on canvas of religious inspiration and liturgical vestments. On the top floor, a section dedicated to the Via Francigena reproduces its main stops from Canterbury to Rome.

The museum spans three main exhibition sites:
The Episcopal Palace: Featuring collections of medieval and Renaissance ceramics, sacred and civic art. It also houses heraldic artifacts, with historical and artistic artifacts like the monumental coat of arms of Pope Gregory XIII. Its rooms housed a long series of clergymen until the diocese of Acquapendente was suppressed in 1986 and aggregated to Viterbo. Renovations over the centuries determined today's architectural profile: a typical private Renaissance building, U-shaped central plan, with a courtyard on the ground floor and a garden on the mezzanine floor and a main floor.
Julia de Jacopo Tower: Offering panoramic views and hosting both temporary and permanent exhibitions.
San Francesco Art Gallery: Displaying religious-inspired paintings and liturgical vestments.