Biblioteca e Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
A library and art museum founded in the 17th century, home to Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit and Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus.
The Ambrosiana was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Borromeo and is one of the first libraries in Europe to open to the public. The art gallery holds Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit, the large preparatory sketch for Raphael's School of Athens, and Leonardo's Portrait of a Musician. A combined ticket gives access to the Federiciana hall, where pages from Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus are displayed on rotation. Tickets cost about €15–20, and the museum is closed on Mondays. It is about a 5-minute walk southwest of the cathedral, so you can visit it on the same day.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30); closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Santa Maria presso San Satiro
- Museo del Novecento
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Milan Cathedral
- Royal Palace of Milan
- Teatro alla Scala
- Basilica of San Lorenzo & Colonne di San Lorenzo
- San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore