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Convent of San Benedetto in Brescello, Emilia Romagna

The old monastery complex of San Benedetto, founded in 1489 is no longer used as a convent, the complex has been renovated and is now a multipurpose facility that houses the self-managed Senior Citizens Centre, the “Peppone e Don Camillo” Museum, a collection donated by the stringed instrument maker Raffaele Vaccari, the Antonio Panizzi library, the toy library and video library, the Prampolini conference room, the archaeological museum, the youth information centre, and the Sala Zatti in which classical music concerts and cultural conferences are held.

As of 1553 the convent also held a boarding-school for girls.
In 1798 the monastery was closed. In 1873 the building was purchased by the Municipality of Brescello and used as a barracks. In the early 1900s, the wing facing Via I Maggio was remodelled to house an elementary school, while the remaining part of the building was used for private flats and small artisan workshops. In 1933, the south and east wings were demolished, while the central body housed the Fascist Party Headquarters, with rooms set up for meetings and orchestra rehearsals.

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