Travel Tips - Museums in Italy

Possibly Milan’s best known art museum, Brera’s collection is focused on classical works of art by master painters such as Raphael, Bellini, Rembrandt, Goya, Caravaggio, Van Dyck and El Greco. One of the museum’s centerpieces is Andrea Mantegna’s masterpiece The Dead Christ, a beautiful and evocative painting of Christ removed from the cross.

The museum, which opened at the beginning of the 19th century, is made up of 38 rooms. Although that may sound quite large, the museum is actually a very manageable size and can easily be seen in its entirety in a couple of hours.

The Pinacoteca di Brera is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30AM to 7:15PM. Entrance costs 10 Euros. Audio tours are available for an additional 3.50 Euros.

Milan is home to one of the most famous operas in the world, and Milan’s opera calls Teatro alla Scala its home. The theatre’s rather drab exterior is no indication of the grandeur of its interior. A visit to the Scala Museum is the only way to peek inside the theatre without buying a ticket to a show, and it is well worth the visit.

Museum visitors are given access to the theatre’s magnificent ballroom and adjoining booth from which they can look into the massive theatre house and sometimes catch rehearsals. The museum also houses a large amount of memorabilia from La Scala’s past, including paintings, costumes, instruments, props and more. And if you plan on being in Milan in early December, be sure to reserve tickets to the opening night of La Scala’s opera season, which is always held on the day of Sant'Ambrogio (December 7th), Milan’s patron saint.

Milan’s Palazzo Reale, or royal palace, may not be much to look at, but it’s a site tourists should not miss. Located on the southern side of the duomo, this former seat of Milan’s Town Hall and home to the Torriani, Visconti and Sforza families, survived WWII bombing and currently houses the Duomo Museum, where most of the Duomo’s treasures are exhibited, and Contemporary Art Museum. Although the palace is subjected to what seems to be a never-ending renovation, it is open to the public. The Palazzo Reale Contemporary Art Museum does not have a permanent collection but hosts important international, temporary exhibits. This is a mandatory stop for art lovers, although art is not particularly hard to find anywhere in Milan.