Museum of the Contrada Sovrana dell'Istrice
A building of Romanesque origins preserves the history of the Sienese contrada
The Museum of the Contrada Sovrana dell'Istrice (Sovereign Contrada of the Porcupine) is right next door to the oratory of this contrada (one of Siena's sixteen districts). A chapel which used to serve as the old church of San Vincenzo and Sant'Anastasio, the building has Romanesque origins and has belonged to the contrada since 1788.
The interior of the oratory was renovated in the eighteenth century and is home to a Madonna and Child from the studio of Alessandro Casolani, which hangs above a niche containing a terracotta bust of Pinturicchio, who was buried here in 1513. There are also several paintings from the Sienese school of the seventeenth century. The museum tells the history of the contrada by displaying the Palio trophies won over the years, uniforms, weapons, silverware and holy items.
Accessibility information: regione.toscana.it
