Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
Founded in April 1618, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana was born thanks to the vision of Cardinal Federico Borromeo, who donated his precious collection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana— which he had established in 1607.
A treasure trove of unique masterpieces and a meeting place for art, culture, and beauty.
The oldest museum in Milan
Suggested itineraries and accessibility
Let yourself be guided through art and history and explore the Ambrosiana however you like!
SHORT
Duration: 60 minutes
Discover the collection of Cardinal Federico Borromeo, founder of the Ambrosiana
FULLY ACCESSIBLE
If you have an hour to visit the Ambrosiana, focus on the great masters and Cardinal Federico Borromeo’s collection, leaving the Galbiati Wing (Rooms 8-12) and the second floor for your next visit.
In the first rooms (1-6), the giants of art history await you: Caravaggio, Botticelli, Titian, Raphael, and more! Contemplate the sweetness of Bernardino Luini’s Baby Jesus with a Lamb and be amazed by unexpected details, such as the frog in Bramantino’s Madonna Enthroned.
Continue in Room 7 with the explosion of color of Cardinal Borromeo’s collection of Flemish paintings. Then, descend to the ground floor to observe Leonardo da Vinci‘s masterpieces and the works of the artists of his school.
MASTERPIECES
Duration: 60 minutes
An hour in the company of the absolute geniuses of art history
PARTIAL ACCESS: Due to the building’s historic structure, the tour is only partially accessible to people with reduced mobility. Accessible areas include rooms 1 through 7, the Dante and Bambaia rooms on the first floor, the Leonardi Hall, the Peristyle, and the Federiciana Room on the ground floor.
Starting on the first floor, we recommend beginning with the works of the great masters. In room 1, admire Caravaggio‘s Basket of Fruit, and in room 2, Botticelli‘s Madonna of the Pavilion.
Then continue to room 5, where you can contemplate Raphael‘s Preparatory Cartoon for The School of Athens.
In room 7, linger over the countless details of Jan Brueghel the Elder’s works, while in room 12, Giovan Battista Moroni‘s Gentleman awaits.
Ascending to the second floor, immerse yourself in a journey through the most celebrated names in Italian art from the 16th to the early 20th century, including Baschenis, Canova, and Hayez.
Finally, descend to the ground floor to admire Leonardo da Vinci‘s Portrait of a Musician and the original drawings from the Codex Atlanticus, housed in the evocative setting of the Sala Federiciana.
COMPLETE TOUR
Duration: approximately 90 minutes
Enjoy the museum’s wonders to the fullest and be amazed by the beauty of the Ambrosiana
PARTIAL ACCESS: Due to the building’s historic structure, the museum is only partially accessible to people with limited mobility. Accessible areas include rooms 1 through 7, the Dante and Bambaia rooms on the first floor, the Leonardi Hall, the Peristyle, and the Federiciana Room on the ground floor.
If you have more than an hour, you can focus on what you like or are most curious about. In addition to visiting the first rooms (1-7), which house Renaissance masterpieces from Cardinal Borromeo’s collection, we recommend visiting the Dante stained glass window room and the Bambaia gallery.
From room 8, immerse yourself in the eclectic marble decorations of the Galbiati Wing. Here you’ll find some unmissable curiosities, such as the display case containing a lock of Lucrezia Borgia’s hair.
Going up to the second floor, admire the mosaic in the exedra before embarking on a journey through works from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
And Leonardo? The great master and the artists of his school await you in the Aula Leonardi and the Sala Federiciana, on the ground floor, as the grand finale of your visit!
24 rooms housing some of the most extraordinary masterpieces of all time
The museum consists of 24 rooms, where visitors can admire some of the greatest masterpieces of all time, such as the Portrait of a Musician by Leonardo da Vinci, The Basket of Fruit by Caravaggio, the cartoon for the School of Athens by Raphael, the Adoration of the Magi by Titian, the Madonna of the Pavilion by Sandro Botticelli and the magnificent Vases of Flowers by Jan Brueghel.
In addition to Renaissance artworks, the museum’s collections include paintings by important 17th-century Lombard artists (Morazzone, Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Daniele Crespi and Carlo Francesco Nuvolone), as well as 18th-century painters (Giandomenico Tiepolo, Fra’ Galgario, Francesco Londonio), and also a notable cluster of 19th- and early 20th-centuries artists like Andrea Appiani, Francesco Hayez and Emilio Longoni.
In the various rooms, one can also discover a series of genuine curiosities, like the gloves that Napoleon wore at Waterloo, the armillary spheres from the Settala Collection, or the showcase containing a lock of Lucrezia Borgia’s hair: many famous poets, such as Gabriele D’Annunzio and Lord Byron, have come to draw inspiration from it.
What’s on
