Museums in Italy – a list of museums in Italy, photos, opening hours, ticket prices 2021, map
Italy with its fortified cities – uplift the thickness of the walls of the citadel of science, art and aesthetics in its purest form. Florence with luxurious palaces, Rome with a high pathos of religious artifacts, old acquaintance Milan with its amazing scientific delights – each of them is worth a visit, each of them is worthy of admiration, favorably endowing each of its guests with the slightly tart aroma of real history. Let's talk about the most interesting museums in Italy.
Juliet's house in Verona
A grandiloquent love story in scenery made of broken glass, because the first love cannot but end sadly, and in relation to the immortal lovers – Juliet and Romeo, Romeo and Juliet – she had to be finished also tragically. This often happens with stories like these that are alive too, or come alive at the behest of thousands of inspired fans. So, in Verona, a prototype was discovered, or rather, a carefully selected reconstruction of the very house of Juliet – the house of the Capello family.
The house itself is not so large in size, but it perfectly conveys the poetics of medieval architecture. True, most tourists are not attracted by the architectural delights mentioned, but only by one element of Juliet's house – the very balcony and courtyard that adjoins it. As you know, it was here that the fatal confession for both young people sounded. Juliet is also present in the proscenium, but already cast in bronze and frozen in the idle splendor of youth.
Today, visiting Juliet's house is free, which cannot but please the guests of Verona, but this is provided that the guests of the mansion do not want to use the services of a guide, which will cost six euros. Excursions are held all week – from half past nine until almost eight in the evening. Only on Mondays, the start time of the excursion visit is shifted to the afternoon.
Doge's Palace in Venice
It is amazing, but the Doge's Palace, a cult building in many respects, has become a haven for most state institutions of the highest order, proclaiming democratic and humanistic ideas, for more than six hundred years, however, far from the most democratic institutions, for example, Secret police.
But the history – complex and confusing – remains on the conscience of the guides, but the beauty and unusualness of the Palazzo Ducale can be enjoyed by everyone, even an unprepared guest of this place, which is a visualization of honors and tributes to European-style Gothic, Byzantine style, classicism tracery – real poetry in sculptures, bas-reliefs and colonnades. The numerous halls hiding behind this magnificence and almost overshadowing it are not inferior. Suffice it to recall the Hall of Maps, whose walls are richly draped with samples of artistic passion for cartography.
The Doge's Palace operates on a somewhat “split schedule”. The first half of the year – usually from March to October – allows visiting the complex from half past nine to seven noon, while the second half of the year reduces visiting hours – only to half past six noon. The price of the entrance ticket varies within nineteen euros.
Uffizi Gallery in Florence
Florence with its river Arno and Paris with its whimsical Seine are the only possible comparison worthy of admiration, as are those architectural ensembles whose sparkling glass reflects the lights of the river. And the Uffizi Gallery as the brightest of all the Florentine “beacons”. In this place, real power and the same true love for art met extremely successfully, giving rise to one of the most ambitious and pretentious works of the architectural world.
The Uffizi Gallery amazes, stuns and does not let you take your eyes off it, which is not surprising, because its creation is associated with the Medici family, whose name has long been synonymous with wealth and generosity. Back in the sixteenth century, Cosimo Medici conceived the construction of an ensemble, under whose arches the main state institutions of Florence of those days would be collected, and therefore these very arches were supposed to popularly tell everyone about the power of a free city.
The gallery acquired its modern look not only through the efforts of the architect who created this monumental project, but also through the efforts of the Medici themselves, who for several centuries transferred their main artistic pride to the Uffizi. Gradually collected collection expanded to appear today in all the splendor of the skill of Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael, Botticelli and even Aivazovsky.
The gallery is open from eight in the morning until almost seven in the evening, however, you usually have to leave much earlier to visit it, as the crowd of eager tourists, ready for any queues, maintains a stable density. It is also worth remembering that on Mondays the Uffizi Gallery is closed, as well as on the most significant holidays. Ticket prices rarely exceed eight euros, while children can get in for free.
Palazzo Vecchio in Florence
Florence is literally permeated with thin ribbons of time – you just have to stretch out your hand, and your fingertips timidly first touch the powerful stonework that appeared through the efforts of the masters of the thirteenth century. It was those very distant masters who erected the Palazzo Vecchio, which today claims to be the main architectural gem of Florence. Despite the fact that initially the colossal castle complex was built for state needs, it took its more complete form only three centuries later, when Cosimo Medici, a man with a delicate taste and a thick wallet, became the owner of the castle.
It was he who gave a new name to this place, calling it “old” and gradually turning it into a kind of treasury for the Medici family heirlooms. It was these relics that became the basis of one of the richest expositions of art objects in the world, although some no less valuable exhibits got here already closer to the beginning of a new page in the history written by mankind. For example, Michelangelo's old “acquaintance” is “David” perfect in its proportions. Palazzo Vecchio is open to guests from Friday to Wednesday, from nine in the morning until seven in the evening. On Thursdays, the visit is limited to only until two noon. However, this place is worthy of the time it will take to become more familiar with its collections. The ticket price will not exceed seven euros.
Archaeological Museum of Verona
One of the most brilliant Roman scenes was in Verona, and its lights, contrary to previous data, did not fade with the sunset of the lucky star of the Roman Empire and the dominance of “barbarian culture”. This scene just turned out to be cluttered – with houses and churches that grew from year to year, burying ancient foundations under them. Only by the twentieth century, layer after layer, these superstructures began to be removed, clearing the true face of this place. Artifacts found during these studies have become part of the exposition of the Archaeological Museum of Verona, which is located on a hilltop, resting on the stone pillars of the bridge and the old city with sloping slopes.
It is located in the former building of the monastery, whose patron saint is Saint Gerolamo. Of course, such a successful placement leaves a certain imprint on the appearance and atmosphere of this place – the ancient Italian monasteries cannot but have a kind of magnetic effect on everyone who finds themselves under high arches. It is also worth noting that the exposition is not only artifacts found throughout Verona during excavations – and there were many such things, and sometimes unintentionally – but also larger-scale elements, for example, a church that was located on the territory of the monastery. Today, its building and interior design are part of the museum.
The Archaeological Museum of Verona is ready to meet visitors on all days without exception, with the only clarification that on Monday the work is shifted to the afternoon. The maximum ticket price is six euros, and there is a special discount system for group visits.
Vatican Library
The Vatican is a tiny piece of land by the standards of the globe, in which, for more than a dozen centuries, quite impressive power has been concentrated, not even on the scale of the globe. This place has always had its secrets – and it could not not have them. One of these secrets for a long time remained and still partially remains the Vatican library. The Apostolic Library is a safe repository, where behind heavy doors are ancient scrolls and manuscripts, hand-written and rewritten books from the gloomy Middle Ages, when the Vatican was almost at the peak of its power, tomes from the Renaissance, representing considerable scientific and artistic interest.
All this is housed in richly decorated halls, striking with the complexity and skill of wall painting and the beauty of ceiling painting. True, not all halls are open to the public today, and those that are available will be of interest not to idle tourists making a colorful tour of sunny Italy, but to scientists, professors and their students who are ready to work and appreciate the materials that are in their hands.
Accademia Gallery in Venice
Venice is the very city of half-forgotten fairy tales heard in childhood through a dream, the city of the most beautiful women, water channels and masquerades, the city of artists, philosophers and scientists who are ready to decorate this blessed land and glorify it. The Museum of the Academy or, as it is now more commonly known, the Gallery of the Academy refers to the former main “springboard” for the training of young artists ambitious and talented enough to challenge high art. True, gradually the Academy itself turned into more of a museum, in whose halls, and today, canvases by Venetian masters and representatives of other schools are exhibited in a completely random sequence.
Located in the buildings of a former monastery built in the fifteenth century on the banks of the Grand Canal, the Accademia Gallery is always surrounded by a motley set of tourists, ready to stand many hours in line and get the right to personally see the skill of Titian, Bellini, Tintoretto. On all days except Monday, when the museum has a short day, you can stay in the halls of the Academy Gallery until seven o'clock in the evening. A ticket for one person will cost fifteen euros, but do not forget about special discount systems and the so-called free days. For example, on Valentine's Day, the aforementioned couples in love can walk through the elegant halls for free.
Accademia Gallery in Florence
The name of Cosimo Medici is associated with many Italian buildings that have become iconic and have not lost their luster, despite their more than decent age. A man who has a fine sense of art and is ready to pay a real price for it, it was he who, at the end of the sixteenth century, founded perhaps the first educational institution of an artistic profile in Europe with a strong academic background. It was at the Academy that the Gallery was opened, which today makes one freeze in mute admiration, one has only to step over the ancient threshold, however, then it opened more likely not as a museum, but as an exhibition hall in which the works of students and their senior teachers who created their masterpieces were supposed to be exhibited to the glory of the picturesque and noisy Florence in all its variety of scenery.
It is not surprising that the modern exposition consists mainly of the same works of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, bringing together Bronzino, Ghirlandaio and Lippi under one shadow. The gallery starts its work at eight in the morning and ends after six. The maximum ticket price is sixteen euros.
Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan
Italy is characterized by the location of museums in material monuments of history and culture, for example, on the territory of former monasteries or palaces, as if including them in the circle of a museum exhibition. So it happened with the Museum of Science and Technology, named after one of the most prominent geniuses of scientific and artistic thought – Leonardo da Vinci. He “creeps out” far beyond the boundaries of the monastery of San Vittore provided to him, continuing exhibitions in street pavilions, constantly replenishing his collection and developing.
Ready literally from the doorway to captivate each of his – even a random – guest, who was extremely far from the principles of operation of a steam engine or the intricacies of the work of astronomical equipment. In each of the respective halls, models are presented – usually in full size, whether they are retro cars or submarines – which will become clear on the example of the algorithm of their work. Do not forget about one of the most remarkable museum halls – the very concentration of the engineering and mathematical genius of Leonardo da Vinci, which presents some models of his unique devices, collected from the personal notes of the scientist. It is better to get acquainted with the work schedule on the official website immediately before visiting, as it changes periodically. You can talk more calmly about the prices for a visit – the cost of tickets does not exceed ten euros.
Museum Complex of the Vatican
The Vatican is a treasury of treasures, the main decoration and the main mystery of Rome, the giant colossus whose body over the past centuries has become larger and larger, bristling with new buildings and fortress walls. True, today it is already becoming clear that it has not grown enough, since all those cultural and religious relics that are stored today on its territory, no longer fit on this very territory. The modern Vatican complex includes a number of independent museums, which contain collections from different eras and cultures. Most of all, the Egyptian hall is traditionally admired, where artifacts dating back to the twenty-first century BC are collected, but this is only the beginning, because other museums contain treasures – it is difficult to call these exhibits otherwise – glorifying ancient art,
In addition to the museums themselves, the Vatican complex also includes the buildings of several chapels, among which, of course, the Sistine Chapel stands out. You will have to spend at least two or three days to visit the Vatican complex, even taking into account the fact that a program of visiting only certain elements of the complex will be developed in advance. In any case, which of the halls a guest of the Vatican would not want to visit, the price of a ticket valid throughout the complex will be only sixteen euros.
Palazzo Pitti in Florence
Italy has always been firmly bound by the thinnest silk of intrigue, bribery and fraud, as well as bloody murders and extremely mysterious stories in which revenge, envy and passion became the main centripetal of the whole action. This is exactly how one of the richest palaces in Florence appeared – Palazzo Pitti, connected, oddly enough, with one of the most influential people of his time – with Cosimo de Medici, or rather with the envy that he aroused with his wealth in the heart of one of his own favorites. The idea was simple to the point of genius – to build a structure that could not only outshine, but outshine forever, the magnificence of the Medici residences. Unfortunately, this aspiration was not destined to become a reality – the Pitti family did not have time to complete the construction, and the power of the family gradually faded away.
In its modern form, this colossal structure has come down to us thanks to the numerous reconstructions that the palace underwent at different times. These reconstructions affected not only the building itself, but also the vast park area that is located behind it, creating one of the most perfect, in terms of landscape design, gardens in Italy – the Boboli Gardens. But not only they attract tourists. On the territory of Palazzo Pitti there are a number of independent institutions, each of which operates on its own schedule and sets its own prices for entrance tickets, which is not always convenient. However, those who want to see the work of Van Dyck, visit the real treasure of the Medici or marvel at the intricacies of porcelain are always there, despite such minor inconveniences.
Royal Museum of Cattolica
It's hard to believe, but in a rather unremarkable building, squeezed between neighboring houses, there is an archaeological museum with a rather rich exposition. This building is in fact the former premises of the Pilgrim Hospital, and the one mentioned has the status of the Royal Museum of Cattolica.
Despite its rather modest size, it managed to accommodate two almost independent halls. The first is dedicated to purely historical artifacts, whose age dates back to the first centuries of our era and younger. The second one is completely devoted to the maritime business in all its possible interpretations: numerous models of ships, old maps and images, documents and logbooks.
Perhaps the most important for foreign tourists are two points: the possibility of free admission all year round with no entry fee and the availability of summer – again free – tours that are held in two languages - proper Italian and English.