• Art & Culture

Five Art Refuges in the City

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

from IN-LOMBARDIA.IT

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.

Read more
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.

Read more
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.

Read more
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.

Read more
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.

Read more

On the same topic

Show all

Roman paved road

  • Art & Culture

Bergamo Città Bassa

Glimpses of ancient villages along the main communication routes between the upper city and the territory
Bergamo Città Bassa (Lower City)
  • Art & Culture

Monuments Mantua

The Gonzagas have made Mantua a jewel of the Italian Renaissance visible in its palaces, monuments, churches, culture and traditions
Monuments Mantua, ideas for visiting
  • Art & Culture

Amaryllis Fleming Cello

A new masterpiece at the Violin's Museum
  • Art & Culture

Castles and fortifications around Lake Como

Several testimonies of a past rich in history, all to discover
@primalavaltellina.it
  • Art & Culture

Gentileschi: Rest on the Flight into Egypt

  • Art & Culture

Monuments Monza

There are so many beauties to discover in the city that holds treasures not only in its Cathedral.
Monuments in Monza, culture in Lombardy
  • Art & Culture

Spring in Varese

Varese: walks, picnics, secret beaches. In the spring, spend a day outdoors in the land of the lakes.
Plenty of culture and fresh air at the Villa Della Porta Bozzolo
  • 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
Monza musei
  • Art & Culture

On the trail of traditional trades

Six destinations to explore crafts and tradition, on the trail of traditional trades in the timeless landscapes of Lombardy.
  • Art & Culture

Strolling through Milan's southeastern agricultural park

Milan South Agricultural Park
  • Art & Culture

Varese UNESCO

4 siti UNESCO, indissolubilmente legati al paesaggio: Monte San Giorgio, Isolino Virginia, Monastero di Torba, Sacro Monte di Varese.
Quinta cappella al Sacro Monte di Varese
  • Art & Culture

5 medieval monuments in Lodi

A journey of discovery through the Middle Ages, from Borghetto Lodigiano to Lodi.
Palazzo Rho_Borghetto Lodigiano
  • Art & Culture

Walking through time between Grosio and Grosotto

The most extensive historiated rock in Europe
Walking through time between Grosio and Grosotto
  • Art & Culture

Museums Lecco

Known above all for 'I Promessi Sposi' by Manzoni, Lecco is also rich in history and culture to be discovered in the Civic Museums
Museums Lecco, exploring Lombardy
  • Art & Culture

Cremona and its music

Cremona's music is closer than what you think
  • Art & Culture

Pavia Photo Gallery

An area full of attractions and experiences to experience
Pavia from A to Z, art and culinary traditions
  • Art & Culture

Vaprio d adda

Halfway between Bergamo and Milan it is located on the border between the two provinces marked by the river Adda, on the Milanese side
Vaprio d'Adda
  • Art & Culture

Castles Pavia

Towers, walls, ditches .. a journey between fortresses and sumptuous historic houses
  • Art & Culture

Sondrio, the legend of Orlando

Castel Masegra is an imposing building which sits atop a 60m-tall rock, dominating the Sondrio skyline
Sondrio Castello Masegra
  • Art & Culture