Officially established on 4 August 1861, the eve of the patronal feast of Sant'Emidio, thanks to two artists from Ascoli, Giorgio Paci (1820-1914) and Giulio Gabrielli (1832-1910), the conspicuous artistic collection, with over 800 objects all now on display, it is housed "ab antiquo" in the imposing Palazzo dell'Arengo. The first two installers drew works from the collections of the monasteries of Sant'Angelo Magno, San Domenico and dei Gesuiti, which became part of the municipal properties following the suppression of religious orders decreed by the prefect Valerio in January 1861.

The collection was further enriched in 1909 with 12,000 prints and drawings donated by Giulio Gabrielli; in 1917 with the arrival of numerous nineteenth-century works granted on deposit by the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Rome; in 1920 with the acquisition of the Ceci legacy (a collection made up of more than one hundred paintings, sculptures and ceramics, left by the surgeon Antonio Ceci to his hometown) and then with the numerous paintings purchased by the various municipal administrations that followed one another until Today.

Among the precious works preserved, the 13th century Cope of English manufacture stands out in terms of importance, donated in 1288 to the Cathedral of Ascoli by Pope Nicholas IV, the paintings by Carlo Crivelli (the two triptychs of Valle Castellana 15th century), Cola dell' Amatrice (The ascent to Calvary, 1527), Titian (San Francesco receives the stigmata, 16th century), Guido Reni (Annunciation, 1575), Strozzi, De Ferrari, Magnasco, Mancini, Morelli, Palizzi and Pellizza da Volpedo (Amorous walk , 1901).

The works are set in splendid rooms furnished with rare consoles, armchairs, mirrors and chests of drawers from the 18th and 19th centuries which, with the precious curtains and Murano chandeliers, recreate the atmosphere and charm of an aristocratic palace.