Arco Historic Archive Reorganization Highlights Century of Community History
These days, another chapter has closed in the century-long history of the historic archive of Arco, formed by the union of the ancient deposits of the three historic municipalities of Sommolago: Arco, Romarzolo, and Oltresarca. The reorganization of the Romarzolo archive has been completed (the Arco archive is up to date until 1923; work is ongoing from 1924 onward; for Oltresarca, specialized cooperative assistance will be sought).
The characteristics of the archive
This is an immense undertaking. The historic archive preserves parchments and manuscripts related to the community’s history (the printed books, including the valuable tine, belong to the ancient fonds of the civic library). It comprises thousands of documents: Romarzolo alone fills 56 linear meters of shelves.
To compile the inventory, one must open the folders, verify their contents by deciphering thousands of pages inscribed with various handwriting styles and ink that is sometimes faded with age, and create a list to be later handed over to local history scholars so they can easily browse, amidst the folds of the past, the lesser stories that make up history with a capital H (the one written in books, which may perhaps be worth less than the other).
The residents of Arco, and indeed today’s scholars, must be grateful at least to a couple of figures from the past who ensured this vast heritage was preserved through the centuries and wars, passing down to us.
The origins and main interventions on the archive
The first record of the existence of an archive dates back to February 10, 1574: it is an inventory of the writings and movable goods kept. The first significant reorganization is attributed to the archpriest Francesco Santoni, in the second half of the eighteenth century: he bound into 150 volumes the acts considered most important, drafting a general index by subject following the then Enlightenment archival doctrine.
The other notable figure is Federico Caproni, brother of the better-known engineer Gianni. In 1927, he aimed to continue the work of archpriest Santoni and compiled two typed volumes (known as Santoni-Caproni indexes) and a chronological index of the parchments, which, with the municipality’s approval, he had the opportunity to view at his home (he is also likely responsible for the authentic fasces of the fasci littori still visible in the archive).
Since those years, about 150 envelopes and packages of documents likely remained in the Caproni household, returned to the municipality in 1992 and later dehumidified and disinfected by the provincial services responsible for library and archival assets.
Transfers and current location
In 1929, when the three municipalities were united, the historic archive was moved to the ground floor of the municipal building; when Telve (later Sip, now Telecom) requested to use that space, the documents were relocated to Palazzo Panni.
During the war, it was moved again to the convent of the Franciscan friars of Ceole, and around 1950, returned to the first floor of the town hall.
Since 1996, the archive finally has a proper premises, on the first floor of Palazzo Giuliani, the fourteenth-century “domus nova,” the first built by Count Francesco d’Arco in the town square, outside the castle.
The future for these ancient documents began five years ago.