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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Contemporary Varese

Una guida alle architetture e nuovi spazi dedicati all'arte contemporanea: i percorsi del contemporaneo tra Varese, Laveno, Maccagno.

Art & Culture

Soncino - the water system

Special guided tours for those who are keen to learn

Art & Culture

Theaters Brescia

Brescia will surprise you with the vitality of its theaters, where are staged prose, ballets and concerts

Art & Culture

Museums Pavia

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

Art & Culture

Museums Lodi

The museum reality of Lodi is heterogeneous. It preserves naturalistic and scientific collections, archaeological and art collections

Art & Culture

Nose up in the streets of Milan

We wander around the city observing plaques and inscriptions

Art & Culture

Marian Itinerary Brianza

The path of the rose that connects 25 Marian shrines

Art & Culture

Cult City #inLombardia

11 Cities of Art just waiting to be discovered, one after the other, which look to the future while proudly preserving stunning heritage.

Art & Culture

Milan, following Leonardo’s footsteps

Pictorial suggestions and drawings. Machines and impressive hydraulic engineering works. In Milan, a journey in the wake of Leonardo

Art & Culture

Tempio dell’Incoronata

A visit to the Tempio dell’Incoronata and the Museo del Tesoro

Art & Culture

Monument Varese

Stately homes, religious buildings, fortifications and UNESCO treasures among the beauties of Varese and its surroundings

Art & Culture

Angera and the Open Air Museum

A beautiful lakefront and a very picturesque aura in the province of Varese

Art & Culture

Lombardy, land of science and engineering

A journey of discovery through the history of technology in Lombardy

Art & Culture

Castles Sondrio

In the mountains between castles and strongholds that challenge the peaks of the Valtellina

Art & Culture

Summer nights with lights and magic

After-dark visits to Lombardy’s castles, stately homes and villages, all lit up for the occasion

Art & Culture

Monuments Monza

There are so many beauties to discover in the city that holds treasures not only in its Cathedral.

Art & Culture

Strolling through Milan's southeastern agricultural park

Art & Culture

STAI 2: Services for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism

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

#inLombardy, culture doesn't go on vacation

Take advantage of summer tranquility in the city, discover Milan and other Cult Cities in Lombardy

Art & Culture