Since 1936, the Pesaro Civic Museums have been based in council owned Palazzo Mosca, once residence of one of Pesaro’s most important aristocratic families. The Mosca family were wealthy merchants from Bergamo who settled in Pesaro in the mid 16th century and built the town centre residence which still bears their name today. Totally renovated in 2013 the exhibition itinerary takes account of chronological and emotional criteria. The museum collection covers five first floor rooms in Palazzo Mosca beginning with Sala Bellini which contains Giovanni Bellini’s famous altarpiece The Crowning of the Virgin, one of the greatest masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance and a highpoint in 16th century religious painting. The next room is entirely devoted to the decorative arts and contains ceramics, sculpture, furniture and cabinet work. Rooms focusing 16th-18th century sacred and profane paintings follow. The itinerary ends with the Nature and Deception room devoted to still lifes.

The Palazzo Mosca Civic Museums are part of the “Museo di tutti e per tutti” [museums for everyone] promoted by the Marche Region in conjunction with the Omero State Tactile Museum in Ancona, which supports accessibility for cultural locations. Specifically, five video guides in Italian Sign Language with Italian subtitles have been made for deaf visitors to use on their own devices inside the museum via NFC – a technology which supplies wireless connection – and available on the museum’s website and YouTube channel. The videos introduce the visitor to the museum and guide them around its collections.