Archivio Storico Intesa Sanpaolo

Archivio Storico Intesa Sanpaolo
Name	Archivio Storico Intesa Sanpaolo
Country	Italy
Established	2007
Location	Turin; Milan; Naples
Type	corporate archive; historical archive
Collection size	millions of documents; photographic archives; corporate records
Director	(See Organization and Management)

Contents

Archivio Storico Intesa Sanpaolo is the corporate historical archive of Intesa Sanpaolo, formed after the mergers that created the bank, and preserves records related to Italian banking history, industrial development, and corporate governance. The archive documents the institutional heritage of predecessor banks such as Banca Commerciale Italiana, Credito Italiano, Banco Ambrosiano, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, and Sanpaolo IMI, while holding materials connected to Italian finance, regional development in Piedmont, Lombardy, and Campania, and personalities linked to modern Italian business like Enrico Cuccia, Giovanni Agnelli, and Gianni Agnelli. It supports scholarship in areas associated with institutions such as the European Central Bank, Banca d'Italia, and international firms like UBS Group AG, and collaborates with cultural bodies including the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione, Fondazione Museo del Risparmio, and university departments at the Università degli Studi di Torino and Università Bocconi. The archive interfaces with major cultural events such as the Biennale di Venezia, projects with museums like the Pinacoteca di Brera, and contributes documents to exhibitions about figures such as Giuseppe Garibaldi, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, and episodes like the Italian unification.

History

The archive's formation follows corporate consolidations culminating in the 2007 merger forming Intesa Sanpaolo, bringing together records from predecessor institutions such as Banca Commerciale Italiana, Credito Italiano, Banco Ambrosiano, Sanpaolo IMI, and regional savings banks like Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, Cassa di Risparmio di Milano, and Cassa di Risparmio di Napoli. Its collections reflect interactions with Italian administrations like Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze and financial events including the Great Depression, Post–World War II reconstruction, and the 1992 Italian banking crisis, while preserving correspondences involving figures such as Alcide De Gasperi, Amintore Fanfani, Giulio Tremonti, and industrial leaders like Enrico Mattei and Ferruccio Lamborghini. Institutional milestones are documented alongside corporate social projects linked to entities like Fondazione Cariplo and public initiatives such as the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno.

Holdings include corporate archives from predecessor banks (Banca Commerciale Italiana, Credito Italiano, Sanpaolo IMI), board minutes involving executives such as Enrico Cuccia; financial ledgers contemporaneous with operations in cities like Turin, Milan, and Naples; photographic archives featuring industrial sites tied to families like Agnelli family and companies like FIAT. The archive preserves legal records connected to cases before institutions such as the Corte costituzionale, contracts with multinational firms like Siemens and General Electric, correspondence with political figures including Benito Mussolini and Palmiro Togliatti, and archival collections related to cultural patrons such as Giovanni Agnelli and Michele Sindona. Special collections comprise audiovisual materials on projects with the Triennale di Milano, posters and ephemera from campaigns involving Banca d'Italia regulations, and personal papers of bankers, jurists, and philanthropists connected to Fondazione Torino Musei and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.

The archive is administratively integrated within Intesa Sanpaolo corporate structures and coordinates with national heritage bodies such as the Soprintendenza Archivistica and the Ministero della Cultura, while liaising with academic partners like Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. Management practices follow standards from international organizations like the International Council on Archives and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and the archive interacts with corporate governance frameworks exemplified by boards similar to those at UniCredit. Directors and curators have collaborated with scholars affiliated to institutes such as the European University Institute and foundations including Fondazione CRT and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo.

Public services offer reading rooms and reproduction services for researchers from universities such as Università Bocconi and institutes like the Istituto per la Documentazione Economica e Sociale, support for doctoral candidates linked to programs at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and access policies aligned with Italian archival law administered by the Archivio di Stato di Torino and the Archivio di Stato di Milano. The archive provides reference assistance for studies on historical banking practices involving the European Central Bank, consultancy for exhibitions with partners like the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano, and loans to institutions such as the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Museo Egizio. Fees, appointments, and reproduction permissions follow protocols comparable to those at national archives like the Archivio Centrale dello Stato.

Archivists collaborate on research projects with scholars from Università degli Studi di Torino, Università degli Studi di Milano, and the London School of Economics examining topics intersecting with institutions such as the European Investment Bank and events like the Marshall Plan, producing catalogues and curated exhibitions that have toured venues including the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, the Palazzo Reale (Turin), and the MAXXI. Exhibitions draw on materials related to personalities such as Giovanni Agnelli, Enrico Mattei, and Maria Montessori, and themes tied to industrialization in Piemonte and banking reforms associated with legislation like the Amato Law. Collaborative digital humanities projects have linked the archive to international initiatives at the Digital Public Library of America and university labs at Harvard University.

Conservation programs adhere to standards from bodies like the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro and international guidelines from the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and treatments have been applied to paper, photographic, and audiovisual collections including nitrate and acetate film stocks seen in holdings related to Cinecittà productions. Digitization workflows employ best practices compatible with repositories such as the Europeana platform, metadata standards used by the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, and digital preservation strategies discussed at conferences like the Digital Preservation Coalition meetings, enabling online access for researchers at institutions like Stanford University and Columbia University. Conservation collaborations have involved laboratories at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and partnerships with IT providers and cultural heritage projects supported by the European Commission.