Milan, a city known for its art scene, fashion, and finance, hides among its streets a rich artistic and cultural heritage. Numerous museums, primarily located in the center, preserve the city’s cultural heritage. These are the best museums to see in Milan.
Museums in Milan
The city of Milan offers a diversity of museums that cater to every type of interest. Milan boasts a diverse range of museums, spanning from ancient history to contemporary art, science to technology, and not to mention spaces dedicated to design and fashion, which are integral parts of the city’s international reputation.
Milan has always been one of Italy’s major cultural centers. Innovations and ideas have passed through here before, giving life to important literary and artistic movements. Milan was the first center of dissemination of the Enlightenment, the Scapigliatura movement, and the cradle of patriotic Risorgimento literature.
The museums of Milan are the testimony of a long history and the countless influences the city has absorbed. However, they also serve as a testament to the cultural vibrancy that, in certain areas, has elevated the Lombard capital to a global center of reference. Milan was the birthplace, home, and workplace of some geniuses of Italian cultural history, such as Bramante, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Michelangelo, Cesare Beccaria, and Alessandro Manzoni.
The Last Supper—Leonardo da Vinci
One of the most famous art masterpieces of all time is located right in Milan. We’re talking about The Last Supper, painted by Leonardo da Vinci at the end of the 15th century. It appears on a wall in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The work dates back to the period when Leonardo lived and worked in Milan on commission from Ludovico il Moro.
The fresco, measuring 180 in. × 350 in., has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980. This masterpiece is the culmination of Leonardo da Vinci’s experiments with light, movement, perspective, and the expression of human emotions. The Museum of Cenacolo Vinciano offers 15-minute visiting slots for the Last Supper. Each slot includes a maximum of 35 people at a time.
Visiting The Last Supper also involves a brief museum path that features the “Crucifixion of Christ” mural painting by Donato Montorfano, located on the south wall of the refectory. Along the corridor leading to the Cenacolo hall, one can admire 17th-century frescoes with scenes of martyrdom and the Cloister of the Dead. This is the place where the bodies of the convent’s friars rest.
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which includes The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, is located in Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Museum of the Milan Duomo
The Duomo is one of Milan’s most famous and iconic attractions. The Duomo Museum, located on the first floor of the Royal Palace, is nearby. The institution covers 21,528 square feet, where it is possible to admire the heritage of the Treasury of the Duomo. It includes artworks from the cathedral and those from the deposits of the Veneranda Fabbrica (a 600-year-old organization that was established to supervise the construction of the Cathedral of Milan). Visitors follow a chronological itinerary that traces the construction phases of the Duomo, from its foundation in 1386 to the 20th century.
The museum displays masterpieces of the Treasury, such as liturgical and cult objects used from the 5th to the 17th century. One can admire the architectural models employed by the Duomo’s Workshop. The most significant architectural model is the wooden “Modellone.” In subsequent rooms, it is possible to discover and learn about the history of Duomo through its decorative elements, such as sculptures, stained glass, paintings, tapestries, terracotta, and plaster. The visit also includes the Church of San Gottardo in Corte.
The Museum of the Milan Duomo is located in the Royal Palace, at Piazza del Duomo 12.
Pinacoteca di Brera
The Brera Art Gallery stands as one of Milan’s top museums. Housed in the 17th-century Palazzo Brera, it boasts one of the largest exhibitions of ancient and modern European art. The collection includes some masterpieces of Italian and international art history. Among the most important works are Andrea Mantegna‘s “Dead Christ,” Giovanni Bellini’s “Pietà,” and Raphael’s “Marriage of the Virgin.” And also Caravaggio‘s “Supper at Emmaus,” Hayez’s “The Kiss,” and Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo’s “Fiumana.” The art collection also includes works by Picasso, Boccioni, Modigliani, Tintoretto, and Piero della Francesca.
The exhibition path unfolds through about thirty rooms, almost exclusively dedicated to painting. Besides ancient and modern art, there are sections on prehistory and contemporary art. The Cabinet of Drawings showcases a collection of drawings from the early 19th century, supplemented by works by surrealists such as Picabia, Duchamp, and Man Ray. The Cabinet is open by appointment only.
The Pinacoteca di Brera is located at Via Brera 28.
Ambrosian Art Gallery
One of the museums in Milan worth visiting is the Ambrosian Art Gallery. Cardinal Federico Borromeo founded it in 1618, donating his collection of paintings, statues, and drawings to the Ambrosian Library. Borromeo also founded the Ambrosian Library about ten years earlier in the Palazzo dell’Ambrosiana, alongside the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Today, the museum houses some of the most important masterpieces of Italian and European art in its 24 rooms. Among these are Leonardo‘s “Musician,” Caravaggio’s “Basket of Fruit,” and the preparatory cartoon for Raffaello‘s “School of Athens.” And also Tiziano’s “Adoration of the Magi” and Botticelli‘s “Madonna of the Pavilion.”.
A visit to the Ambrosian Art Gallery will also reveal the collection of the smallest objects in the world. Among its most intriguing pieces are the gloves worn by Napoleon during the Battle of Waterloo and various personal effects belonging to important figures in Italian history. The admission ticket to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana also grants access to the Church of San Sepolcro’s crypt. This is one of the oldest places in Milan. Indeed, its floor is part of the 4th-century Roman forum pavement.
The Ambrosian Art Gallery is located in the Palazzo dell’Ambrosiana, at Piazza Pio XI 2.
Museums of Sforzesco Castle
The famous Sforzesco Castle houses a series of museums. They display the civic collections of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, archaeological finds, furniture, textiles, musical instruments, and books. The Museum of Ancient Art presents collections that narrate the evolution of Milanese and Lombard art until the end of the 16th century. The Art Gallery displays 230 paintings, including works by Andrea Mantegna, Tiziano, Canaletto, Correggio, and Tiepolo. The Museum of the Pietà Rondanini houses the famous sculptural group by Michelangelo Buonarroti.
The Archaeological Museum includes the Prehistory, Protohistory, and Egyptian sections. Other museum exhibitions within the Sforzesco Castle are the Museum of Musical Instruments, the Museum of Furniture, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Numismatic, and the Medal Cabinet. Also worth visiting is the Rivellino del Santo Spirito, a fascinating itinerary on the walls of the Sforza castle.
The Museums of the Sforzesco Castle are located at Piazza Castello 3.
National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci.
The National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci is a masterpiece of Milanese excellence. It is the largest technical-scientific museum in Italy and one of the most important in Europe. It is located in the ancient monastery of San Vittore al Corpo, near which Leonardo da Vinci owned some lands.
Inside the museum, it is possible to admire the world’s largest collection of machine models made from Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings. It also includes 19,000 objects illustrating the history of science, technology, and industry. Some of the main sections of the exhibition path are the Leonardo da Vinci Galleries, the Space Sector, the Naval Aviation Pavilion, and the Railway Sector. The Technological Mosaic, the Regina Margherita thermal power plant, the S506 Enrico Toti Submarine, and the Vega Launcher are also included.
National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci is located at Via San Vittore 21.
Museum of the Novecento
Located in the Palazzo dell’Arengario in Duomo Square, the Museo del Novecento is one of the museums in Milan that is absolutely worth seeing. It displays 300 works of 20th-century art. The visit begins at the Futurism Gallery, showcasing works by Italian artists Boccioni, Balla, Depero, and Carrà. Here it is also possible to learn about the themes of Metaphysics, Primitivism, and the historical Avant-garde. On the fourth floor, there are the collections of art from the Fascist era and those related to Abstractionism. Next, we discover the room honoring Marino Marini and the magnificent Sala Fontana, which offers a view of Duomo Square.
The visit continues with spaces dedicated to the collections of the post-war period. Through the suspended walkway between the museum and the Royal Palace, one reaches the final section. It includes works from the period between the Sixties and Eighties.
The Museum of the Twentieth Century is located in the Palazzo dell’Arengario, at Piazza Duomo 8.
The Prada Foundation
Among the museums in Milan worth visiting is the renowned Prada Foundation. The museum is located in a distillery building from the early 20th century. This institution offers spaces for contemporary art collections and includes works by internationally renowned artists. Its iconic nine-story white tower is an architectural and design attraction. The works on display belong to a temporal period from 1960 to the present.
The permanent exhibition “Atlas” has occupied some floors of the Prada Foundation Tower since 2018. It sees the collaboration between Miuccia Prada and Germano Celant. One can admire installations, paintings, and sculptures by artists such as Carla Accardi, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, and many others. The entrance ticket allows you to visit “Atlas,” the “Grottesque Process,” and the installation “Die Geburt des Buches aus dem Geiste der Natur” by Andreas Slominski in the study room. “Haunted House” and “Le Studio d’Orphée” have limited entry.
The Prada Foundation is located at Largo Isarco 2.
Museum of Italian Design
The Museum of Italian Design is part of the Triennale di Milano, one of Milan’s most important cultural institutions. The museum aims to showcase the history of Italian design by showcasing objects, brands, and ideas that have positioned Italy as a global leader in this field. The visit is chronological and begins at the dawn of the Triennale. The Triennale originated as the Biennial of Decorative Arts in Monza in 1923.
Inaugurated in 2007, the museum displays a collection of 300 iconic objects of Italian design, thus retracing the history and evolution of the sector. On the occasion of the centenary of the Triennale Milano, the new Design Platform was added, a space intended for temporary exhibitions.
The Museum of Italian Design is located in the Palazzo dell’Arte, at Viale Alemagna 6.
MUDEC Museum of Cultures
The Museum of Cultures is a must-visit museum in Milan. It is the result of the redevelopment of the disused Ansaldo steelworks. The MUDEC serves as a multidisciplinary hub, committed to the preservation and valuation of various cultural testimonies. Inside, there are also the Extra-European Collections of the Sforzesco Castle.
The collection of the Museum of Cultures encompasses over 7,000 pieces, encompassing works of art, handicrafts, everyday objects, textiles, and musical instruments. The objects come from all over the world and allow a reading of the diversity of human culture through time and space. The visit gives you the opportunity to learn about the collections from the Far East, specifically Chinese and Japanese art, Africa, and pre-Columbian civilizations. All the material on display belongs to a chronological arc that goes from the first centuries BC to the 20th century.
MUDEC Museum of Cultures is located at via Tortona 56.
Civic Archaeological Museum of Milan
The Civic archaeological museum of Milan is located in the deconsecrated Benedictine convent of the Monastero Maggiore, annexed to the church of San Maurizio. Situated in an area that preserves imposing ruins of the Roman era, the monastery dates back to the 8th–9th century AD. The museum includes Greek, Etruscan, Roman, barbaric, and Gandhara sections.
Founded in 1862, the visit includes a stretch of walls dating back between the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th century AD, as well as the polygonal tower. Inside it, there are ancient fresco remains. Next, the Archaeological Museum’s inner courtyard houses the “Circus tower” from the late imperial Roman era and the remnants of a Roman domus.
Civic Archaeological Museum of Milan is located at Corso Magenta 15.
Modern Art Gallery (GAM)
Inaugurated in 1921, the Modern Art Gallery of Milan represents the most important collection of modern art in the Lombardy region. Villa Belgiojoso, one of the city’s Neoclassical masterpieces, houses the institution. In its rooms, one can admire masterpieces of modern Italian art history.
Among the most famous artists present are Francesco Hayez, Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, Antonio Canova, Medardo Rosso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Umberto Boccioni. Among the European artists, we have Picasso, Gauguin, van Gogh, Manet, and Cézanne.
The Modern Art Gallery Milano is located at Via Palestro, 16.
Galleries of Italy – Milan
The “Galleries of Italy” is a museum of modern and contemporary art. The museum articulates itself along a route that encompasses three historical sites: Piazza della Scala, via Manzoni, and via Morone. It is a total of 8,300 square meters dedicated to art and architecture among exhibitions, permanent collections, initiatives, and events.
Galleries of Italy—Milan includes 13 sections dedicated to Italian artistic geniuses. The historical buildings involved are Palazzo Anguissola Antona Traversi, Palazzo Brentani, and Palazzo della Banca Commerciale Italiana.
The Galleries of Italy—Milan can be found at Piazza della Scala, 6.
Museums in Milan gallery
Milan museums video
Map of Milan museums
Milan weather
Meteo Milano
Tourist information offices in Milan
- INFOMILANO Piazza Duomo 14. Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 10 a.m. –2 p.m. Contacts: phone +39 02 884 55555
- YESMILANO Tourism Space Via Dei Mercanti 8. Open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Contacts: phone +39 02 85155931
