Pinacoteca di Brera
One of northern Italy's most important art museums, holding masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio and Mantegna. Its Brera district is Milan's most artistic old quarter.
The Pinacoteca di Brera occupies the 17th-century Palazzo di Brera, sharing the building with an art academy, an observatory and a botanical garden. It was expanded into a national gallery during the Napoleonic era. Its 38 galleries display the highlights of Italian painting from the 13th to 20th centuries in chronological order. Mantegna's Lamentation over the Dead Christ, famous for its extreme foreshortening, Raphael's The Marriage of the Virgin, Piero della Francesca's Montefeltro Altarpiece, Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus and Hayez's The Kiss are all must-sees. In the central courtyard stands Canova's bronze statue of Napoleon as a nude. Tickets cost about €15, admission is free on the first Sunday of each month, and timed tickets can be booked online. The museum stays open until 22:15 on Thursdays. The Brera district is made up of narrow cobbled lanes lined with galleries, antique shops, design boutiques and open-air cafés. It is one of the main venues for Milan Design Week, and in the evening, an aperitivo along Via Fiori Chiari is part of everyday life for Milanese. Take metro M2 to Lanza or M3 to Montenapoleone, then walk about 8 minutes. You can also visit the Brera Botanical Garden (free) nearby.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun 08:30–19:15 (until 22:15 on Thursdays); closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Teatro alla Scala
- Museo Poldi Pezzoli
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Quadrilatero della Moda
- Sforza Castle
- Milan Cathedral
- Museo del Novecento
- Biblioteca e Pinacoteca Ambrosiana