If you only have one hour to visit the Ambrosiana, we suggest you concentrate on the collection of Cardinal Federico Borromeo and the great masters, leaving the Galbiati Wing and the second floor for the next visit!
If you only have one hour to visit the Ambrosiana, we suggest you concentrate on the collection of Cardinal Federico Borromeo and the great masters, leaving the Galbiati Wing and the second floor for the next visit!
In the first rooms, admire the Adoration of the Magi by Titian and the Holy Family with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John by Luini, the Madonna of the Pavilion by Botticelli and the enigmatic Madonna of the Towers by Bramantino, followed by the Cartoon for the School of Athens by Raphael, newly restored and enhanced by a completely new display.
Tiziano Vecellio (1480-1576), "Adorazione dei Magi", 1559-1560, olio su tela, 120x223 cm
Sandro Botticelli (1444 o 1445-1510), "Madonna col Bambino e angeli detta Madonna del padiglione", 1490-1495, tempera su tavola, diametro 65 cm
Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), "La Scuola di Atene", 1510, cartone preparatorio, carboncino e biacca, 285x804 cm
Continue with the Nativity by Barocci and the explosion of colours from Cardinal Borromeo’s collection of Flemish paintings. Here you will be fascinated by observing the countless details to be discovered in works by Paul Bril and Jan Brueghel the Elder.
Jan II Brueghel il Giovane (1601-1678), "Cacciata dal Paradiso terrestre", 1600-1624, olio su tavola, 49x83 cm
Jan Brueghel (1568-1625), "Fiori in un bicchiere", 1608, olio su rame, 43x30 cm
Jan Brueghel il Vecchio "Dei Velluti" (1568-1625), "Allegoria dell'acqua", 1614 circa, olio su rame, 46x66 cm
Paul Bril (1554-1626), "Paesaggio con San Giovannino", 1590-1599, olio su tela, 86x131 cm
Paul Bril (1554-1626), "Veduta marina", 1611, olio su tela, 102x146 cm
Jan Brueghel il Vecchio "Dei Velluti" (1568-1625), "Topolino con rose", 1605, olio su rame, 7,2x10,2 cm
If you are attracted by curiosities, make a brief stop in Room 8 to admire the rare objects found in the display cases in the Room of the Medusa (Room 8), including the famous display case with a lock of Lucrezia Borgia’s hair.
Capelli di Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519), teca con supporto in malachite, Alfredo Ravasco (1873-1958), altezza 30 cm
From here, you can take the large staircase to the ground floor, where you can admire Leonardo da Vinci’s Portrait of a Musician, the works of his school and the original drawings in the Codex Atlanticus.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), "Ritratto di musico", 1485-1490, tempera e olio su tavola, 40x30 cm
Bernardino Luini (ca 1480-1532), "Incoronazione di spine", affresco
Gian Giacomo Caprotti, detto Salai (1480-1524), "San Giovanni Battista", 1510-1520, tempera e olio su tavola, 73x51 cm
Andrea Bianchi detto il Vespino (attivo 1612-1640), "Ultima Cena", olio su tela, 118x835 cm. Copia del Cenacolo di Leonardo da Vinci (Inv. 1002). Prima del restauro 2012
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Codice Atlantico (Codex Atlanticus), foglio 1058 verso. "Principio di reciprocità aerodinamica e studio del volo artificiale; in alto, paracadute; in basso, disegni di ala battente". Copyright Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), "Canestra di frutta", 1594-1598, di , olio su tela, 62x47 cm
The most magical and ancient places of Milan: the ancient Forum where Constantine, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and Theodosius walked, and the lower Church of Santo Sepolcro, built by the Crusaders… as well as a colossal statue of St. Charles Borromeo on Lake Maggiore; a Museum-Home at the Sacro Monte of Varese; a Foundation dedicated to the promotion of young artists: this is also the Ambrosiana!
Discover the other institutions of the Ambrosiana
The church of San Sepolcro was founded in 1030, when a Milanese moneyer named Rozzone built a church on the ancient Roman forum. Archbishop Ariberto d’Intimiano solemnly consecrated it to the Holy Trinity.
The Colossus of Saint Charles in Arona, which popular tradition has affectionately dubbed San Carlone, was created in the seventeenth century at the behest of Federico Borromeo, archbishop of Milan and founder of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
The Marco Mantovani Foundation seeks to preserve and enhance the works of the sculptor Marco Mantovani, as evidence of the life of an artist dedicated to sculpture and art.
Between 1990 and 1992, archaeological excavations conducted underneath the ancient cellars of the Ambrosiana brought to light a portion of the pavement of the ancient Roman forum, the heart of Mediolanum's political, economic and religious life.
Lodovico Pogliaghi was one of the most significant Lombard artists to live in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
