Four Best Museums to Visit in Milan
Hidden gems within the city that are definitely worth the experience
By: Isha Chada, Amnik Dev, Olivia Miller, Eleni Trimbonias
If you are ever in Milan, Italy and you’re wondering what some memorable things you can do are, we highly recommend seeing some of the top museums of Milan! They’re known to be very interactive, intriguing, and are sure to be a wonderful experience.
First on the list we have one of the coolest interactive museums, that will sure be your favorite or a family favorite:
Museo Interattivo del Cinema
Cineteca Milano MIC, Viale Fulvio Testi, 121, 20162 Milano MI
Tuesday — Sunday, 15:00–19:00
The Interactive Museum of Cinema is a modern pop culture museum that is dedicated to the history of cinema in Italy. Just standing by the door of the museum, you will immediately notice statues of movie characters outside, a notable one being Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon.
Inside the museum, there are several different types of exhibits. The exhibits range from machines from before the invention of the camera, to the history of animation in film and TV. For example, in the animation exhibit, there are videos of old cartoons that use line animation, an animation style where the scene is drawn in only one line.
The second type of exhibit is more interactive, since there is a photo booth where someone can take pictures in front of a greenscreen and choose fun backgrounds. People can also make old movie posters, play around with sound effects, experience virtual reality, and try their hand at voice acting.
The last type of exhibit is the temporary showcase, which currently is about E.T, an American movie made in the 1980’s about an alien who comes to Earth. This showcase has several exhibits dedicated to E.T, like the original puppets, costumes, and robots used in the movie to depict the alien, short documentaries on the making of the film, and much more.
If you are a film buff or are just looking for a fun time, definitely check this place out!
Are you into art? Well be sure to visit the…
Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Piazza Pio Xi, 2, Milan
Monday — Tuesday, 10:00–18:00, Thursday — Sunday, 10:00–18:00
If you are looking for a delightful compilation of works from some of history’s remarkable artists, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana could be the perfect addition to your Milan cultural bucket list. Located a short walk from the Duomo, it contains a collection of paintings, drawings, and statues donated by Cardinal Federico Borromeo in 1618. It is the oldest gallery in Milan, originally consisting of 250 works. Today it contains 1500 and the collection is spread across 24 rooms, which includes the works of prominent names such as Caravaggio and Da Vinci. The pieces vary in age from the 5th to the 20th century AD. Some of the most famous pieces on display are Caravaggio’s Basket of Fruit, Leonardo’s Musician, Adoration of the Magi by Titian, the Preparatory Cardboard used for The School of Athens by Raphael, Vases of Flowers by Jan Brueghel and Madonna of the Pavilion by Botticelli.
It could be a great addition to your activity list if you enjoy a diversity of art mediums as it spans in an array of techniques from watercolor and charcoal to frescos. Similarly, the sculptural pieces on display include gilded steel and silver, ivory, polychrome wax, plaster cast and leather, among others.
Alongside art of the Renaissance period, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which houses the Pinacoteca, contains the work of various renowned authors from the 17th to the early 20th century. Included in these are names such as Morazzone, Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Giandomenico Tiepolo and Andrea Appiani. The Biblioteca was founded in 1607, to which Borromeo added his art collection 11 years later, establishing the Pinacoteca.
Maybe an Opera and its culture might be intriguing to you. So, then you should definitely visit the…
Teatro alla Scala — Museo Teatro alla Scala
Filodrammatici Street, 2–20121 Milan / Ghiringhelli Square, 1–20121 Milan (Milan)
Monday — Friday, 9:00–12:30 / Monday — Sunday, 9:00–17:00
It is not just an Opera House, but also a museum! Established in 1913, the Teatro alla Scala and the Museo Teatro alla Scala is regarded as one of the leading opera and ballet Theatres globally. The museum consists of the prestigious collection of theatrical memorabilia of antique dealers. Inside you will see the traces of the presence of immortal artistes, great composers and conductors, and you will be able to get an insight on the Teatro alla Scala.
Specifically, the museum consists of about 10 rooms and each room tells a different perspective and story about the influences of different composers, innovators, and artists on the history of Theatre. Each room has its own value and meaning, but when we visited, we personally found rooms two and four to be the most significant.
If you’re a fan of comedy, like we are, then we highly suggest visiting room two. This room introduces you to The Commedia dell’Arte, which essentially translates to the “comedy of the profession”, making Commedia an early form of humorous theatrical presentations. The Commedia dell’Arte drew its force from the physical energy of the actors and their multifaceted ability to act, sing and dance. You are also introduced to an important engraver in Theatre history: Jacques Callot. The room also holds some paintings reproducing the works of Callot, as well as ceramics and porcelain figurine Harlequin and other famous characters of the Commedia.
Additionally, if you want to learn about the creation of the majority of the compositions for the Opera House, you should focus your attention on room four.
In room four, you will be able to find the history and the paintings of one of the well-known opera composers: Giuseppe Verdi. He is very crucial because he composed about 26 operas for the Theatre and his paintings bear witness to the relationship he had with La Scala.
Towards the back-middle of the museum, you are able to go upstairs, and you will see some of the clothes that were designed for the performers. They are very intricate, and they will truly put you at awe.
Furthermore, the Opera House itself: The Teatro alla Scala has a beautiful history to it, that is worth learning about. The Opera House gave us an insight behind its true meaning because to our knowledge we thought an Opera house just consisted of one singer and a large audience. But we soon learned that there was more to the Theatre culture. For example, people would cook in the boxes of the Theatre and the rooms outside of the Theatre were for socializing, where people would smoke, gamble, etc.
So, if you are ever in Milan, and you are visiting the Duomo, go visit the Teatro alla Scala, for it is just around the corner. The museum is open to the public to tour for a very cheap price of 12€. You also get a chance to see inside the Opera House itself, and you get to go inside a booth, which I would say is a pretty cool experience. And if you want to watch a performance, the price ranges from 10€ to about 300€, based on the seats you choose. But be warned, tickets sell out pretty fast, so hurry up! Also, if you are interested in symphony concerts and ballets, then going to the Opera House would be worth a shot.
Lastly, the public is kindly requested to dress in keeping with the decorum of the Theatre, out of respect for the Theatre and for other viewers.
Finally, are you into fashion, especially designer fashion? If yes, then you most definitely have to visit the…
Armani Museum
Via Bergognone 40, 20144 Milano
Wednesday — Sunday, 11:00–19:00
As you are visiting the fashion capital, you must make your way over to the Armani Silos which showcases the famous fashion designer, Giorgio Armani’s designs. It is a must-see fashion museum, and the cost of the Armani Silos commences from 6€.
Before it became the Armani Silos, the building was used to store food. Therefore, Giorgio Armani decided to name the museum a ‘Silos’ as food is an essential part of everyone’s lives and Armani believed that clothes are also a fundamental part of life.
In celebration of Giorgio Armani’s 40 years of design, the museum was built and opened in 2015. This fashion museum holds Armani’s unique, creative designs from the 1980s and as well his more recent designs, containing approximately 600 clothes and 200 accessories. Each design has been carefully organized and structured in the Silos by theme and date. Additionally, each mannequin has been custom-made for each piece to showcase the design in the way it was envisioned.
On top of that there is a digital archive. In this digital archive you can discover a collection of drawings, photographs of celebrities wearing the design and runaway videos.
It should also be noted that the Silos includes a gift shop, where you can get a little piece to remember your special day.
We hope you do visit the Armani Silos, since it is an excellent opportunity to view the unique designs firsthand.
