Palazzo Munari
The former bank vaults beneath Palazzo Munari now hold Roman-era artefacts instead of currency — a detail that tells you a lot about how Frosinone has reimagined this 19th-century pile on Piazzale Vittorio Veneto. Construction started in 1854, and for most of its life the building served institutional authority in one form or another: pontifical gendarmes, carabinieri barracks, Banca d'Italia offices.
The Comune di Frosinone acquired it in February 2021 via a rent-to-buy arrangement and opened it as the municipal seat that October. On weekends, the public gets the interesting parts: a pinacoteca curated by Alfio Borghese, the archaeological museum directed by Maria Teresa Onorati in those repurposed vaults, and a panoramic terrace with fixed binoculars trained on the valley below.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to head straight for the terrace. The binoculars are a small, genuine pleasure — you can pick out neighbouring municipalities spread across the valley in a way no map quite conveys. The inauguration in 2021 saw Miranda Certo, Frosinone's first and only female mayor, serve as ceremonial godmother; knowing that adds something when you're standing in the council chamber.
The story behind Palazzo Munari
Palazzo Munari dates to 1854, built to house pontifical gendarmes in what was then the Papal States. After unification it became a royal carabinieri barracks, and for much of its existence the building ran a parallel life as home to Banca d'Italia's local offices — a function it held until the branch closed in 2008. World War II left it badly damaged, and no government reconstruction funds arrived to repair it.
The Comune di Frosinone formalised its acquisition on 26 February 2021, reportedly the first Italian municipal seat purchased through a rent-to-buy model. Mayor Nicola Ottaviani oversaw both the deal and the inauguration that followed on 17 October 2021, with Miranda Certo — who had led the city between 1986 and 1988 — present to mark the occasion.
Good to know
Come on a Saturday or Sunday — that's when the pinacoteca, the vault museum and the terrace are open to the public; weekday visits are limited to the building's exterior. No admission fee. Frosinone station is the practical entry point, with regional trains from Roma Termini running roughly hourly at about an hour and a half.
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What travellers say about Palazzo Munari
It's on top of the mountain and bus schedules/stops were extremely inaccurate and confusing. Had to walk to the top, possibly the worst trip of my life, the views were good though, but not worth the struggle.
Ok
The Palazzo Comunale of Frosinone, located on Via Plebiscito, is the seat of the city's municipal administration. This building, inaugurated in 2021, was created from the renovation of the historic former Bank of Italy building, constructed in the 1920s based on a design by architect Marcello Piacentini. Its Rationalist style, with a rusticated façade and a central tower, is eye-catching. Inside the building, in addition to the municipal offices, there is an art gallery with works by local and national artists, including Francesco Cozza, Filippo Palizzi, and Francesco Hayez, an archaeological museum housing artifacts from Frosinone and the surrounding area, and a panoramic terrace offering breathtaking views of the city and surrounding countryside. The history of the building is linked to the need for a new municipal building after the damage suffered during World War II. In 2017, the city government purchased the Bank of Italy building and completed the renovation in 2021. The building is wheelchair accessible thanks to an elevator connecting all floors. Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and admission is free.
I thought it was something special, but it's absolutely nothing special. It seems like history has never existed in this strange little town. And what's more, it's either forgotten or even ignored. Not to mention art, culture, and entertainment, which are completely ignored if not hated. I've never, ever seen a single tourist exploring, not even by mistake. It also seems like there's a real hatred of change and modernity.
It was not a tourist visit but the presentation of the third volume of the new series Terra dei Volsci
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