Two brand-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 municipal collection: this is the cultural programme dedicated to art, promoted and organised by the Municipal Council and the Bank of Italy as part of the Forlì leg of “Travelling with the Bank of Italy”.

The first event will take place on Sunday 27 September at 6.30 pm at the Conad Città di Forlì Auditorium as part of Forlì’s traditional ‘Un’Opera al mese’ (An Opera a Month) series, organised by the City Council in collaboration with the Associazione Amici dei Musei di Forlì. 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, Head of Culture and Tourism. The painting will be presented by Professor Barbara Cinelli, lecturer in Contemporary Art History at Roma 3 University.

The second event features the exhibition “Spadini and Menzio. Family Portraits”, running from 29 September to 25 October at the San Domenico Civic Museum. For the occasion, Spadini’s painting will be displayed alongside Francesco Menzio’s work, “In the Studio”, from the Giuseppe Verzocchi Civic Collection. The comparison between two scenes of family life, in which children take centre stage amidst everyday subjects, will provide an opportunity for a fresh 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 events dedicated to art and engaging as wide an audience as possible,” say the Mayor of Forlì, Gian Luca Zattini, and the Deputy Mayor responsible for Culture, Vincenzo Bongiorno, “has led to a fruitful collaboration with the Bank of Italy and the decision to organise two events that will undoubtedly enrich the ‘In viaggio con la Banca d’Italia’ initiative at the Forlì branch. These two events aim to showcase each other’s art collections. As regards our own heritage, with the exhibition of Menzio’s painting we are drawing attention to the Giuseppe Verzocchi collection, to which this Council 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 delighted to share with the people of Forlì,” explains Francesco Giagulli, Head of the Property 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 – normally not on public display – to coincide with the Forlì leg of “Travelling with the Bank of Italy”, an initiative aimed at promoting financial literacy amongst local communities and institutions.
This initiative represents a valuable opportunity, the result of fruitful collaboration between the City Council and the Forlì Branch, confirming their shared commitment to promoting the artistic heritage and to strengthening, including through art, dialogue with the community.”

On the Road with the Bank of Italy

An Opera a Month: Special Edition
Conad Auditorium, Forlì, 27 September 2026, 6.30 pm
Curated by Stefano Benetti, with the participation of Barbara Cinelli
Free admission, subject to availability

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

Opening hours:
From 29 September to 9 October: Tuesday to Sunday: 10.00–13.00; 17.00–20.00.
From 10 October: Tuesday–Friday from 09.30 to 19.00
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 09.30 to 20.00
Closed on Mondays

Tickets:
From 29 September to 9 October, admission to the exhibition is free. Free admission also includes
a visit to the Art Gallery of the San Domenico Civic Museum.
From 10 to 25 October, the exhibition will be open to visitors upon purchase of the Single Ticket, which will also grant
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