Five Art Refuges in the City

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Art & Culture

Theaters Cremona

Cremona stands out not only for its monumental beauties, but also for its lively cultural activity in its theaters

Art & Culture

Milan and its bridges

Art & Culture

Welcome to Cremona!

Cremona is for everyone

Art & Culture

The Lombard seigniories: key figures, history and places

Gonzaga, Visconti, Sforza: a journey through cities steeped in history and culture

Art & Culture

The Legend of the Giubiana

The Giubiana festival is a very popular tradition in Lombardy

Art & Culture

Itinerary Mincio Po Rivers

A pleasant itinerary to discover the naturalistic and architectural riches of this strip of Lombardy.

Art & Culture

Milan and Lake Como

Milan, city of a thousand histories. Plus, a trip to Lake Como

Art & Culture

Online i modelli di Stradivari dell’MdV

On Google Arts & Culture!

Art & Culture

STAI 2: Services for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism

Art & Culture

Visit the interactive exhibit Leonardo3. The World of Leonardo

Discover the works of Leonardo Da Vinci as you've never seen before

Art & Culture

Lombardy's highest steeples and bell towers

There are four bell towers from which to admire the region's beautiful landscapes and squares, all of them over 90 metres high

Art & Culture

Theaters Bergamo

The theatrical season of Bergamo accompanies us with a flourishing billboard of shows not to be missed

Art & Culture

Museums Cremona

The museums, a meeting with the culture and with the history of Cremona

Art & Culture

Visit Villa Reale di Monza

A real journey through history from the Habsburgs to the Savoy.

Art & Culture

Santo Stefano Ticino

A village to be discovered near Milan

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.

Art & Culture

Palazzo d'Arco in Mantua

Everyday life of a noble family in the 18th and 19th Century

Art & Culture

Varese pursuing new horizons

Art & Culture

Museums Pavia

Masterpieces of art, treasures and centuries-old traditions in the museums of Pavia and surroundings

Art & Culture