The project for the Museum of the Duchy of Spoleto, in the Rocca Albornoz, has its origins in 1982, when the imminent final transfer of the prison (settled there for two centuries) in the new building outside the city, the monumental complex is transferred to the State of the Ministry for Cultural and Environmental Heritage.

On this occasion the "Consortium economic planning and for the cultural heritage of the district of Spoleto" constitute a committee of experts for the preparation of a feasibility study. The preliminary report outlines the theoretical and methodological criteria on which to base the Museum and will be the basis for the subsequent design.

The Museum of the Duchy, in the general project of use for cultural purposes of the monumental complex, will have to brand themselves as "permanent core of cultural services and initiatives" and "tool finally adapted to the knowledge of the city and the territory", said the commission, must integrate with the "museum of the monument " through a design and a layout "that can not sacrifice readability and does not choke and practicability of the monument as such".
The ministerial decree issued in 1993 stipulates the establishment of the National Museum of the Duchy of Spoleto gave then formally launched a project strongly supported by institutions and cultural institutions; will, however, spend a few more years to reach the first, in 1996, the drafting of the program agreement between the state, region and municipality, which assigns to the Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities, the organizational responsibility of the museum, and later (1997 - 1998) , with the work of a committee made up of specialists from various institutions, the definition of a scientific fact which has constant reference to the detailed design of the exhibition.
The museum identifies the historical framework of reference in the affairs of the territory, from the second half of the sixth century, is the Duchy of Spoleto and sets himself the task of making the visitor to the complexity of such historical and cultural unity of the substantial this vast area of central Italy, lingering well beyond the chronological limits of the existence of an autonomous Duchy arose with the Lombard conquest; in particular:
as this is sort of independent statehood already a sediment rich in monuments and fingerprints;
as over the centuries, although modified in the political structure and institutional reduced in extension, this territory has been a perceived identity both inside and outside its borders, so that, for example, the notion of "Duchy" as a geographical expression, endures until the eighteenth century cartography.
The museological representation of this case is through the presentation and the combination of artifacts, figurative original texts and explanatory tools , which have the primary function of putting the museum tour in constant relationship with the context in which the exposed material was produced or where he still found his original location.
The works come from the collections for most civic Spoleto; the City of Spoleto in fact, for the construction of the Museum of the Duchy granted a filing to the State finds from excavations and works of art, identified by the Scientific Commission, partly stored and partly already exhibited at the Municipal Art Gallery. The kits Lombards and twenty sculptures and paintings are in public ownership; some early medieval sculpture fragments come from buildings and / or collections of ecclesiastical property.
THE NUMBERS:
1241 square meters. of the total area,
864 sqm. of exposure,
230 works preserved,
190 works on show in the museum,
15 exhibition rooms on two levels,
1 internal storage,
2 rooms for teaching and temporary exhibitions,
2 rooms for the reception and service to the public.
Public services: reception, ticketing, library, wardrobe, paths for people with disabilities, sightseeing.
Services for schools: teaching and special projects.
Services to students: photo library, card works and restorations.
The museum is located in the heart of the Duchy of the monumental complex, and because the perception of the unity of the whole must be safeguarded, the museum and the cognitive process of the fortress are tightly integrated; as teaching aids in the exhibition halls also give an account of the organization of the monument, and the visit of the museum visit is prolonged in significant areas such as the hall of honor, the "pint room", decorated the lodge. The visitor is then given the opportunity, through guided tours, which also gives access to the defensive paths that wind at higher levels along the perimeter of the building Albornoz; From here, the view of the hill of Sant'Elia, on which stands the fortress, the city and the valley of Spoleto allow you to perceive fully the relationship between the museum - the monument and the reference environment.
The completion of the project outlined by the commission will be implemented with the completion of the documentation center, which will converge on the scientific expertise of several institutions, aimed at four main goals: construction of a database covering the entire territory of the Duchy and the Albornoz fortress; articulation of informative paths at different levels of detail; access to other databases and exchange of information with other cultural institutions; scientific productions to be made available to users of the Museum.