Starting from December 2022, a new project of the Civice Raccolte Storiche has started, the series Notebooks of the Civic Historical Collections, publications with variable periodicity, which will from time to time offer insights into the rich heritage of the collections, from the paintings displayed in the rooms of the Museum to the archive documents, from the bibliographic sources to the graphic and photographic works, to the many relics that tell the story, from Napoleonic period up to the present day. 

From the Phrygian cap to the golden eagle. Symbols and history in the Napoleonic era flags of the Civic Historical Collections (1796-1814)
 

The first issue accompanies a temporary exhibition focus in the museum, dedicated to some recently restored flags, with historical, artistic and technical insights (texts by Pier Sergio Allevi and Maria Giorgi). The nucleus of Napoleonic flags, dating back to the period of the Italian Campaigns and the Italian Kingdom, is - in terms of number and rarity of pieces - unique in Italy.

The banner which, following the last reorganization of the Museum in 2008, opens the exhibition itinerary is part of this: the banner of the Lombard Legion of Hunters on Horseback, one of the first insignias delivered by Bonaparte to the Lombards who voluntarily joined the French army . These flags and the first Tricolor are told today in this publication, taking the opportunity offered by the 220th anniversary of the establishment of the first Italian Republic.

23 March 1848. A painting by Carlo Stragliati in Milan at the end of the nineteenth century

The second issue comes out on the occasion of the commemoration of the Five Days of Milan: through archive research and historical-stylistic analysis, one of the most iconic paintings present in the rooms dedicated to the "Milan revolution" of 1948 is analysed, with a section also dedicated to the female faces of the Five Days, seen through a selection of works from the museum collections and depots (texts by Silvana Citterio and Patrizia Foglia).
 
The notebook is dedicated on this occasion to Carlo Stragliati's painting “23 March 1848”, a painting which, entitled to the day following those famous five days (18-22 March), exalts the victorious outcome. The painting occupies a central place in the Museum's exhibition itinerary. This issue will be distributed starting from 19 March 2024 on the occasion of the many events dedicated to the Five Days of Milan promoted by the Institute.