Museo Poldi Pezzoli

The Museo Poldi Pezzoli is an art museum in Milan that was originally created from the private collection of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli. The museum is housed in Poldi Pezzoli’s former residence, an elegant palazzo built at the end of the nineteenth century.

History

The young aristocrat Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli’s passion for art led him to increase the family’s art collection. When he died in 1879 he left his palace and his works of art to the Brera Academy, and in 1881 the Museo Poldi Pezzoli was inaugurated.

During World War II, the museum was severely damaged and many paintings were completely destroyed. Others survived and those damaged but repairable were restored. The palazzo itself was rebuilt and in 1951 it was reopened to the public.

The exhibitions

The Poldi Pezzoli palazzo offers a beautiful setting for this Italian Renaissance art collection, which is completed by a large variety of decorative elements made of porcelain, sculptures, tapestries, and watches.

One of the museum’s highlights is the armory, a magnificent hall with a large variety of weapons and armor. Moreover, visitors should not miss the Golden Room, where some of the museum's most important masterpieces are Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Saints by Botticelli and Ritratto di Giovane dama by Antonio Pollaiolo.

Definitely worth visiting

The Museo Poldi Pezzoli’s art collection is very varied but quite small in size, so the visit is short but very interesting, while the palazzo itself is also worth visiting.