The Tridentine Diocesan Museum was founded in 1903 and is one of the first diocesan museums founded in Italy, when Trentino was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is located right downtown in Piazza Duomo, one of Italy's most scenic squares, which has always been the scene of Trento's civic and religious life: it is bordered by the cathedral of San Vigilio, in whose subsoil the remains of the ancient early Christian basilica were found.
The museum is housed in the Praetorian Palace and Castelletto: the architectural complex, erected in continuity with the city cathedral, was the ancient residence of the prince-bishops of Trent.
In the rooms of its three floors, the museum displays a rich heritage of art and culture ranging from the 11th to the 19th century, starting from the section devoted to the iconography of the Council of Trent, the historical event that indelibly marked the city's history. The paintings presented on the first and second floors
document the rich local artistic production and its articulated relationship with the neighboring areas of Veneto, Lombardy and Tyrol. On the second floor are sumptuous Flemish tapestries, wooden sculptures, and late Gothic doorway altars. An evocative passageway, moreover, provides a bird's-eye view of the interior of St. Vigilius Cathedral.
Finally, in the gallery on the third floor, rich liturgical vestments, ancient embroideries and precious goldsmithing follow one another. The tour ends in the cathedral's scenic treasure room, where the large processional urn of St. Vigilius stands out.