Ambrosiana
The History of Italy – Ancient Rome illustrated by Lodovico Pogliaghi
02/07/2025-28/10/2025
Exhibition
The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana was established in April 1618, when Cardinal Federico Borromeo donated his
collection of paintings, drawings and statues to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which he had founded in 1607.
The museum consists of 24 rooms, where visitors can admire some of the greatest masterpieces of all time, such as the Portrait of a Musician by Leonardo da Vinci, The Basket of Fruit by Caravaggio, the cartoon for the School of Athens by Raphael, the Adoration of the Magi by Titian, the Madonna of the Pavilion by Sandro Botticelli and the magnificent Vases of Flowers by Jan Brueghel.
In addition to Renaissance artworks, the museum’s collections include paintings by important 17th-century Lombard artists (Morazzone, Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Daniele Crespi and Carlo Francesco Nuvolone), as well as 18th-century painters (Giandomenico Tiepolo, Fra’ Galgario, Francesco Londonio), and also a notable cluster of 19th- and early 20th-centuries artists like Andrea Appiani, Francesco Hayez and Emilio Longoni.
VENERANDA BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA
Piazza Pio XI, 2
20123 MILAN
ITALY
Tel. +39 0280692.1
Fax +39 0280692.215
[email protected]
PINACOTECA HOURS
Until June 30, 2022:
Monday to Sunday 10.00-18.00
Closed on Wednesday
(the ticket office closes at 17.3; the visit requires a minimum of 90 minutes)
SPECIAL OPENINGS/CLOSURES FOR HOLIDAYS:
Open on Wednesday, December 7 2022
Christmas holidays from December 24, 2022 to January 8, 2023:
– December 24, and December 31, 2022: open from 10.00 to 14.00
– December 25, 2022: closed
– January 1, 2023: open from 14.00 to 19.00
– All other days: open from 10.00 to 18.00, including Wednesday December 28, 2022 and January 4, 2023
In the various rooms, one can also discover a series of genuine curiosities, like the gloves that Napoleon wore at Waterloo, the armillary spheres from the Settala Collection, or the showcase containing a lock of Lucrezia Borgia’s hair: many famous poets, such as Gabriele D’Annunzio and Lord Byron, have come to draw inspiration from it.
VENERANDA BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA
Piazza Pio XI, 2
20123 MILAN
ITALY
Tel. +39 0280692.1
Fax +39 0280692.215
[email protected]
PINACOTECA HOURS
Until June 30, 2022:
Monday to Sunday 10.00-18.00
Closed on Wednesday
(the ticket office closes at 17.3; the visit requires a minimum of 90 minutes)
SPECIAL OPENINGS/CLOSURES FOR HOLIDAYS:
Open on Wednesday, December 7 2022
Christmas holidays from December 24, 2022 to January 8, 2023:
– December 24, and December 31, 2022: open from 10.00 to 14.00
– December 25, 2022: closed
– January 1, 2023: open from 14.00 to 19.00
– All other days: open from 10.00 to 18.00, including Wednesday December 28, 2022 and January 4, 2023
