The Academy Palazzo Ricci was officially inaugurated in 2001, after the restoration of the Renaissance palace that houses it and from which its name is taken. It is the first German musical institution in Italy.
The project originates from an agreement between the Municipal Administration of Montepulciano and the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and is supported by the generous help of private sponsors who founded the Palazzo Ricci Association and guarantee its financial basis.