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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Discovering the Churches of Pavia

A Journey through Art, History, and Spirituality

Art & Culture

Castles Bergamo

Bergamo saw in the past the proliferation of fortifications. Many, today, castles to visit

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

Cremona, le Botteghe di liuteria

Maestri del legno e del violino. Botteghe storiche e collezioni. La liuteria a Cremona è patrimonio culturale immateriale Unesco dal 2012

Art & Culture

The Winter Songs

The legend of the coldest days in the year

Art & Culture

Castles Brescia

From Sirmione to Breno, from Desenzano to Padernello, a journey through the fortified manors to the discovery of local history

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

The show is online in Lombardy

The show continues at home, in Lombardy. Discover the plays, films, concerts, videos and podcasts available for free online

Art & Culture

Seriate, and its charming historic villas

Art & Culture

Bergamo Città Bassa

Glimpses of ancient villages along the main communication routes between the upper city and the territory

Art & Culture

Museums Monza

From the Treasure of the Cathedral to the MEMB, there are many museums where you can discover local history, art and culture

Art & Culture

Theaters Pavia

Opera, prose, dance and theatrical review .... the theater in Pavia and the province is staged

Art & Culture

Mario Baciocchi's footprints in Milan

A great architect....

Art & Culture

12 masterpieces in Lombardy

Among paintings, Monasteries, Basilicas: a treasure to be discovered in Lombardy

Art & Culture

Nose up in the streets of Milan

We wander around the city observing plaques and inscriptions

Art & Culture

OPEN WINDOWS

A new project by the Association Tapirulan

Art & Culture

Lombardy, land of science and engineering

A journey of discovery through the history of technology in Lombardy

Art & Culture

Milan Design

Not just Salone: where design lives

Art & Culture

The Archaeological Museum

on Google Arts & Culture!

Art & Culture

Monuments Lecco

From Manzoni to Stoppani: Lecco through the monuments

Art & Culture