Ambrosiana Gallery

Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus alongside Caravaggio and Raphael

Piazza Pio XI 2

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana is one of Milano's most important museums, inextricably linked to three geniuses of Italian art. Leonardo da Vinci, as it houses the most extensive and fascinating collection of Leonardo’s notebooks, the Codex Atlanticus. Caravaggio, author of the Pinacoteca’s most iconic piece, the Basket of fruit. And Raphael, as the original full-scale preparatory cartoon of the celebrated School of Athens fresco, his masterpiece in the Vatican’s Raphael Rooms, is on display here.

 

The Pinacoteca is located near the Duomo and Via Torino, right over Milano’s ancient Roman centre, at the intersection of the main cardo and decumanus roads. Just behind the Pinacoteca stands the ancient and venerated Church of San Sepolcro, with its fascinating, recently restored crypt.

 

The museum dates back to 1618 when the Archbishop of Milano Federico Borromeo bequeathed his art collection to the institution. Each painting can be traced back to a specific stage in his life through evidence of his dealings with great artists, his correspondence with other Italian cardinals and his encounters with collectors and art experts. He founded the Pinacoteca to make his collection available to everyone and to raise awareness on the importance of art among the Milanese

 

The extensive collection of the museum comprises exceptional masterpieces such as Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pavilion, the Adoration of the Magi by Titian, Brueghel’s Fire and Water. A life-long art collection that has grown exponentially since the death of its founder.

 

A real must is the Library’s ancient Federiciana reading room, which retains all the original shelving and volumes, including the precious Codex Atlanticus and Leonardo’s intriguing Portrait of a Musician.

 

 

FASCINATING FACT

 

The Ambrosiana conserves an unusual memento inside a precious display case: a long lock of golden hair snipped from Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara. During the nineteenth century, it became a relic of sorts, and induced an almost fetishist passion in several famous poets and writers passing through Milano, such as Lord Byron and Gabriele D’Annunzio.

 

Legend has it that on All Souls’ Night every year Lucrezia’s spirit glides through the halls of the Pinacoteca in search of the display case containing her hair, a weapon of seduction and a symbol of vanity. When she finds the lock, she washes and combs it as she did when alive, which explains why it is still so beautiful, soft and glossy.

 

There is another legend related to All Souls' Night in Milano... click here to find out.

Opening times

Opening times:

 

Monday to Sundday: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Closed on Wednesdays

Extraordinary openings: Easter, April 25th, May 1st, June 2nd

Ticket information

Ticket information:

 

Full ticket: € 15

Reduced price: € 5 to € 13

 

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Public transport

Public transport:

 

UNDERGROUND

Red line M1 Cordusio, Duomo stop

Yellow line M3 Duomo stop

Telephone

Telephone

+3902806921
Email

Email

contatti@ambrosiana.it

Accessibility

For more information on the accessibility of this place visit the dedicated page

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