• 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

Pavia Photo Gallery

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

Museum Sondrio

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

A journey in Bassa Valtellina among vineyards, districts and historic buildings

The Valtellina you don't expect surprises with its history, crops and food and wine events
Valtellina
  • 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

Cremona drone effect

Booked a weekend in Cremona? Then you can’t afford to miss piazza del Comune, the stunning heart of the city’s historic centre.
Cremona vista dall'alto
  • Art & Culture

Palazzo d'Arco in Mantua

Everyday life of a noble family in the 18th and 19th Century
Palazzo d'Arco in Mantua - ph: Federica Bottoli
  • Art & Culture

10 Reasons to visit Vigevano

The ducal city that surprises!
Vigevano
  • Art & Culture

The Violin’s Museum

on Google Arts & Culture!
  • Art & Culture

The sound of Stradivari

Live performances with the instruments of the collections of the Violin’s Museum.
Clarissa Bevilacqua
  • Art & Culture

Museums Bergamo

Bergamo is a city that wants to be discovered: rich in art and culture counts among its excellences important museums
Museums Bergamo, field guide in Lombardy
  • 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

Theaters Pavia

Opera, prose, dance and theatrical review .... the theater in Pavia and the province is staged
Theaters Pavia, cultural vacations in Lombardy
  • Art & Culture

Theaters Mantua

Sumptuous rooms and golden stages are the setting for the theatrical seasons of Mantua
Theaters Mantua, experiences in Lombardy
  • Art & Culture

Theaters Bergamo

The theatrical season of Bergamo accompanies us with a flourishing billboard of shows not to be missed
Theaters Bergamo, hints on visiting
  • Art & Culture

Monuments Lecco

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

In the footsteps of the Promessi Sposi

An unusual itinerary to relive the places, moods and atmospheres of Manzoni's novel, symbol of national identity
Sulle tracce dei Promessi Sposi - Lecco
  • Art & Culture

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
Casa Museo Manzoni, Milano
  • Art & Culture

Monument Varese

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

House Museums of Lombardy: step inside the homes of renowned historical figures

Discover the history and culture of the Region of Lombardy through its historic house museums, from the homes of famous people and art collectors to artists' studios.
Case Museo in Lombardia - Villa Manzoni, Lecco
  • Art & Culture

Arlecchino and Brighella

Famous masks of the Italian Carnival tradition
Arlecchino_11403_HR©Ciminaghi-PiccoloTeatroMilano
  • Art & Culture