• 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

Soncino - the water system

Special guided tours for those who are keen to learn
  • Art & Culture

The mantuan locations in Rigoletto

Between reality and fantasy, a musical itinerary retraces the locations of Verdi's opera set in Mantua in the sixteenth century
The mantuan locations in Rigoletto
  • Art & Culture

Discovering the Churches of Pavia

A Journey through Art, History, and Spirituality
  • Art & Culture

Nose up in the streets of Milan

We wander around the city observing plaques and inscriptions
  • Art & Culture

The festival of Saint Bassianus in Lodi

Head to the centre of Lodi to celebrate the city's patron saint and discover a variety of traditions and handicrafts
Fiera di San Bassiano_Lodi
  • Art & Culture

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.
The Longobard heritage of Pavia
  • Art & Culture

A day in the life of Leonardo

Art and more: discover a world of intrigue and passions
Castello Sforzesco
  • Art & Culture

More than just cows

Everything you need to know about the Baronchelli dairy farm. A trip to Lodi to discover what's behind the milk we drink
More than just cows
  • Art & Culture

Museum Varese

Mummies, archaeological finds, design, ancient and contemporary art: museums to suit all tastes!
Museum Varese, what to see?
  • Art & Culture

Pezzotti from Valtellina

Perhaps the most famous artisan product from Valtellina, the “pezzotto” is a very resistant fabric made using scraps of fabric, hand-woven at the loom.
  • Art & Culture

Mario Baciocchi's footprints in Milan

A great architect....
  • 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

Castles in Lombardy

The charm of Lombardy through its castles
Castles in Lombardy, Scenes from a Fairy Tale
  • Art & Culture

Cremona and its music

Cremona's music is closer than what you think
  • Art & Culture

Museums Lodi

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

Seven art works to discover in Milan

An artistic itinerary through the streets of Milan, discovering works that transform the city into an open-air gallery.
  • Art & Culture

Castles Cremona

Crossroads of trade and area of strong agricultural production, the Cremonese territory has always been guarded by castles
@albertobr rete.comuni-italiani.it
  • Art & Culture

Monuments Lodi

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

Monuments Lecco

From Manzoni to Stoppani: Lecco through the monuments
Monuments Lecco, exploring Lombardy
  • Art & Culture

What to see in North Milan

The North Milan Area, between North Park and some must-see gems
North Milan Area
  • Art & Culture