On the Road with the Bank of Italy: Art Events

Two new art events dedicated to two 20th-century masterpieces: “Children Studying” by Armando Spadini and “In the Studio” by Francesco Menzio—the former from the Bank of Italy’s art collection, the latter from the Giuseppe Verzocchi Civic Collection. This is the cultural program dedicated to art, promoted and organized by the City Administration and the Bank of Italy as part of the Forlì leg of “Traveling with the Bank of Italy.”

The first event will take place on Sunday, September 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Conad Città di Forlì Auditorium as part of Forlì’s traditional “An Opera a Month” series, organized by the City in collaboration with the Friends of the Forlì Museums Association. The star of the evening will be Armando Spadini’s famous painting, “Children Studying,” owned by the Bank of Italy.
The work owes much of its fame to the fact that it was reproduced on the 1,000-lire banknote dedicated to Maria Montessori, thus entering the collective imagination. The event is curated by Stefano Benetti, Director of Culture and Tourism. Professor Barbara Cinelli, who teaches Contemporary Art History at Roma 3 University, will present the painting.

The second event features the exhibition “Spadini and Menzio: Family Portraits,” running from September 29 to October 25 at the San Domenico Civic Museum. For this occasion, Spadini’s painting will be displayed alongside Francesco Menzio’s work, “In the Studio,” from the Giuseppe Verzocchi Civic Collection. The comparison of two scenes of family life—in which children take center stage amid everyday subjects—will offer an opportunity for a unique dialogue rich in insights into
similarities.
The initiative is curated by Lorenza Montanari, an official with the Culture and Tourism Service, in collaboration with Cristiana De Paolis, Head of the Artistic Heritage Division at the Bank of Italy.

“Our ongoing commitment to promoting art-focused events that engage as broad an audience as possible,” stated Forlì Mayor Gian Luca Zattini and Deputy Mayor for Culture Vincenzo Bongiorno, “has led to a fruitful collaboration with the Bank of Italy and the decision to organize two events that will certainly enrich the ‘In viaggio con la Banca d’Italia’ initiative at the Forlì branch. These two events aim to highlight our respective art collections. As for our own collection, with the exhibition of Menzio’s painting, we are drawing attention to the Giuseppe Verzocchi Collection, for which this administration has allocated a new exhibition wing at the San Domenico Civic Museum. The collection will soon find a prestigious home in the heart of the city, at Palazzo Albertini in Piazza Saffi.”
“We are pleased to share with the citizens of Forlì,” explains Francesco Giagulli, Head of the Real Estate and Procurement Department at the Bank of Italy, “one of the most famous paintings in the Bank of Italy’s collection— “Children Studying” by Armando Spadini—which is not normally on public view—in conjunction with the Forlì stop of “Traveling with the Bank of Italy,” an initiative aimed at promoting financial literacy among local communities and institutions.

This initiative represents a valuable opportunity, the result of the fruitful collaboration between the City and the Forlì Branch, confirming their shared commitment to promoting the artistic heritage and to strengthening—including through art—the dialogue with the community.”

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On the Road with the Bank of Italy
An Opera a Month: Special Edition
Conad Auditorium, City of Forlì, September 27, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
Curated by Stefano Benetti, with the participation of Barbara Cinelli
Free admission while seats last

Spadini and Menzio: A Look at the Family
San Domenico Civic Museum, September 29–October 25, 2026
Curated by Lorenza Montanari, in collaboration with Cristiana De Paolis

Hours:
September 29–October 9: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Starting October 10: Tuesday–Friday, 9:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, 9:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Closed on Mondays

Tickets:
From September 29 to October 9, admission to the exhibition is free. Free admission also includes
a visit to the Art Gallery of the San Domenico Civic Museum.
From October 10 to 25, admission to the exhibition requires the purchase of the “Biglietto Unico,” which also grants
access to the photography exhibition “Lee Miller. Works 1930–1955” and to the Art Gallery of the
San Domenico Civic Museum.

Info:
Civic Museums Ticket Office: tel. 0543712659 – biglietteria.musei@comune.forli.fc.it