• 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
  1. Experiences in Lombardy
  2. Art and Culture
  3. Five Art Refuges in the City

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

Between ancient memories and majestic landscapes

Cultural itinerary in lower Valtellina
  • Art & Culture
Between ancient memories and majestic landscapes

The leonardo ferryboat in imbersago

  • Art & Culture
The Leonardo Ferryboat in Imbersago

Discovering the Churches of Pavia

A Journey through Art, History, and Spirituality
  • Art & Culture
Discovering the Churches of Pavia

Monuments Mantua

The Gonzagas have made Mantua a jewel of the Italian Renaissance visible in its palaces, monuments, churches, culture and traditions
  • Art & Culture
Monuments Mantua, ideas for visiting

The Cloister of Voltorre

The monastic art of the Cloister of Voltorre
  • Art & Culture
The monastic art of The Cloister of Voltorre

Monuments Lodi

In the center of Lodi you can see buildings and monuments that are real architectural and decorative jewels
  • Art & Culture
Monuments Lodi, ideas for visiting

Castles Bergamo

Bergamo saw in the past the proliferation of fortifications. Many, today, castles to visit
  • Art & Culture
Castles Bergamo, discovering Lombardy

Milan, a novel city

Discovering the writers of the past, between the places and the atmospheres of Milan that have inspired great masterpieces of literature
  • Art & Culture
Milan, a novel city

Monument Sondrio

Historical, artistic, traditional Sondrio in its many monuments ... and a railway station from which a special train departs
  • Art & Culture
Monument Sondrio, what to see

Lombardy in 5 Castles

Impregnable fortresses, with enchanting lake views, legends of ghosts. Five castles in Lombardy to be visited
  • Art & Culture
Lombardy in 5 Castles

6 Discovering Lombardy - virtual tour

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

The Longobard heritage of Pavia

A journey of discovery to uncover the ancient civilisation of the Longobards through the history of the city of Pavia.
  • Art & Culture
The Longobard heritage of Pavia

The magic of Varesotto's castles

A tour of Varesotto's castles: an itinerary to discover a regional area where time seems to stand still.
  • Art & Culture
The magic of Varesotto's castles

Castles Pavia

Towers, walls, ditches .. a journey between fortresses and sumptuous historic houses
  • Art & Culture
Castles Pavia

Monument Varese

Stately homes, religious buildings, fortifications and UNESCO treasures among the beauties of Varese and its surroundings
  • Art & Culture
Monument Varese, what to see

Castles Mantua

The Mincio marked for centuries the border of important possessions. The landscape was characterized by new castles in key places
  • Art & Culture
www.mantovaducale.beniculturali.it

Not to be missed: Top 12 tourist attractions in Milan

  • Art & Culture
Not to be missed: Top 12 tourist attractions in Milan

Angera and the Open Air Museum

A beautiful lakefront and a very picturesque aura in the province of Varese
  • Art & Culture
Visit Angera and surroundings: some tips

Five Art Refuges in the City

We can reveal some of the finest, most beautiful spaces that perhaps you did not know about
  • Art & Culture
Five Art Refuges in the City - Lombardy

Museums Lodi

The museum reality of Lodi is heterogeneous. It preserves naturalistic and scientific collections, archaeological and art collections
  • Art & Culture
Museums Lodi, exploring Lombardy