• Art & Culture

Five Art Refuges in the City

We can reveal some of the finest, most beautiful spaces that perhaps you did not know about

from IN-LOMBARDIA.IT

Every city has its hidden spots, where the dynamic nature and the hustle of daily living makes way for tranquillity and artistic contemplation. 

Everything changes in the city, continuously evolving and transforming. We don’t often find the time to stop and look at everything around us; we don’t always give art the opportunity to guide us through moments of peace and contemplation.

Lombardy has plenty of places to showcase art, culture and history; spaces where you can rediscover the pleasure of beautiful things, immersing yourselves in the historic atmospheres of ancient palazzos and the prestige of cultural institutions that have preserved their elegance over time. 

In the province's five capitals we can reveal some of the finest, most beautiful spaces that perhaps you did not know about, and where you can spend some time reading, walking through loggias or enjoying a coffee in a frescoed room.

Discover some of the region’s hidden cultural treasures.

Rotonda della Besana, Milan
To the north east of Milan the Rotonda della Besana stands out in its urban setting. This is a singular late-baroque building, where art and religious tourism come together. This fascinating, charming monument takes its name from the church - now deconsecrated - inside the brick portico. There was once a chapel in the centre of the burial area used for the dead from the Ospedale Maggiore, later converted to a church in 1695 and surrounded by a portico.

Read more
Biblioteca Teresiana, Mantua
Mantua's cultural treasures include the Biblioteca Teresiana, a library and an enchanting surprise amidst the city’s precious historic and literary heritage. It is just a stone’s throw from Piazza Dante, in the heart of the city and was founded in 1780 at the wishes of Maria Theresa of Austria, to whom the two sumptuous rooms of the library are dedicated. The first floor is home to the Palazzo degli Studi, a former Jesuit College, converted as part of the programme of cultural secularisation and reform of institutions by the Austrian empress.

Read more
Teatro Grande, Brescia
An artistic and cultural institution of great prestige, the Teatro Grande is a traditional opera treasure, with charming rooms and surprises to reveal. It stands on the very site where, in 1664, Brescia’s first public theatre was built, with the modern-day auditorium, built in 1810, from designs by architect Luigi Canonica and decorated by Girolamo Magnani in 1862. The stage still has part of its 19th-century structure and the boards have been trodden by some of the greatest artists in Italian opera.

Read more
Palazzo Bottigella Gandini, Pavia
Hidden among Pavia’s historic buildings is Palazzo Bottigella-Gandini, restored and now a space for contemporary art exhibitions. Pavia is a city just waiting to be explored, where you can lose yourselves in its cobbled streets and breathe in the atmosphere of its historic buildings. Very close to the Piazza del Municipio, a stone’s throw from the sumptuous structures that house the City Council we come to a large gateway looking onto the splendid Renaissance courtyard.

Read more
Chiostro di Sant'Agostino, Bergamo
The recently restored Chiostro Minore, the smaller cloister of the former Monastery of Sant’Agostino provides a space for dialogue and meeting in an artistic and spiritual setting. Visiting Upper Bergamo is always a good idea when you want to experience an atmosphere suspended in time. The numerous places consecrated to culture include the former Monastery of Sant’Agostino is a space to discover, with plenty to fascinate and enchant the visitor.

Read more

On the same topic

Show all

The Rainbow Quarter

  • Art & Culture

The Legend of the Giubiana

The Giubiana festival is a very popular tradition in Lombardy
Traditions in Como: The legend of the Giubiana
  • Art & Culture

Santo Stefano Ticino

A village to be discovered near Milan
Santo Stefano Ticino, art and agriculture
  • Art & Culture

Visits to the violin-making workshops

An unique and unforgettable experience
  • Art & Culture

6 Discovering Lombardy - virtual tour

Museums and castles to visit from your home
Palazzo Te (Mantova)
  • Art & Culture

Monuments Milan

Milan is rich in historical and artistic monuments of the highest value that bear witness to the history of the Lombard capital
Monuments Milan, suggestions for visiting
  • Art & Culture

Museum Sondrio

Centuries of local traditions and alpine identity in its museums
Museum Sondrio, what to see?
  • Art & Culture

Sondrio, the legend of Orlando

Castel Masegra is an imposing building which sits atop a 60m-tall rock, dominating the Sondrio skyline
Sondrio Castello Masegra
  • Art & Culture

The show is online in Lombardy

The show continues at home, in Lombardy. Discover the plays, films, concerts, videos and podcasts available for free online
The show is online in Lombardy
  • Art & Culture

The Ghost of Manigunda

In Varese the legend of the ghost of Manigunda to the monastery
Legends of Varese: the Ghost of Manigunda at the Cairate Monastery
  • Art & Culture

7 art capitals an hour away by train from Milan

Lecco città d'arte
  • Art & Culture

Varese pursuing new horizons

Varese Villa Panza
  • Art & Culture

Discovering Pordenone

  • Art & Culture

Pavia Photo Gallery

An area full of attractions and experiences to experience
Pavia from A to Z, art and culinary traditions
  • Art & Culture

Milan Design

Not just Salone: ​​where design lives
Milan, design beyond the Furniture Fair
  • Art & Culture

Open museums in Lombardy: an ode to female talent 

Lombardy’s museums are once again welcoming the public, art lovers, and other visitors with a wealth of exhibitions dedicated to women: artists, works of art, and mythological figures who have inspired exhibitions and shows
  • Art & Culture

STAI 2: Services for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism

  • Art & Culture

OPEN WINDOWS

A new project by the Association Tapirulan
  • Art & Culture

Between ancient memories and majestic landscapes

Cultural itinerary in lower Valtellina
View of the village of Traona (Ph. Wikipedia)
  • Art & Culture

Museums Cremona

The museums, a meeting with the culture and with the history of Cremona
Museums Cremona, discovering Lombardy
  • Art & Culture