Pinacoteca di Brera
Art gallery · Quarto Oggiaro ·

Pinacoteca di Brera

Art gallery · Quarto Oggiaro ·

Italian paintings from 13th-20th century, Renaissance & Baroque masters

Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by MONOCLE
Pinacoteca di Brera by Photo by Erica Firpo
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null
Pinacoteca di Brera by null

Information

Via Brera, 28, 20121 Milano MI, Italy Get directions

Information

Static Map

Via Brera, 28, 20121 Milano MI, Italy Get directions

+39 02 7226 3264
pinacotecabrera.org
@pinacotecabrera

Features

restroom
crowd family friendly
wheelchair accessible parking lot
wheelchair accessible entrance
wheelchair accessible restroom

Last updated

Dec 15, 2025

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@afar
25,132 Postcards · 3,700 Cities

"Browse the Brera The Pinacoteca Brera is Milan 's public painting gallery with an enviable collection of early Renaissance to late Baroque paintings by the very best of 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Though Bramante, Rubens, Raphael, Piero della Francesca and others hang on the walls, I am always mesmerized by Andrea Mantegna."

A Week in and Around Milan
Photo by Erica Firpo
Pinacoteca di Brera
@monocle
195 Postcards · 59 Cities

"The huge statue of Napoleon in the courtyard hints at this museum’s past – in 1809 the French emperor exhibited Italian art looted by his armies here. Today the 17th-century palazzo holds the pick of Italy’s masters, including Raphael and Caravaggio, and modern works by Umberto Boccioni and Modigliani. Careful lighting and fresh decor, courtesy of new director James Bradburne, make the canvases an even greater pleasure to see. Visit the Ettore Sottsass-designed glass restoration chamber to see paintings unframed for retouching."

Milan
MONOCLE
Pinacoteca di Brera
@nomadicmatt
6,681 Postcards · 1,174 Cities

Where to Stay in Milan When You Visit in 2025

"I consider the Pinacoteca di Brera the city's best art museum and a major cultural draw in the Brera neighborhood." - Matthew Kepnes

https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/where-to-stay-milan/
Pinacoteca di Brera

In C.

Google
Really lovely place, I've enjoyed it. They're currently also featuring a collection of pieces of Giorgio Armani. I recommend ordering tickets online. The museum only lets you in according to the time assigned on your ticket. When you get there, there are two ticket machines - if you choose to try those, they can make it seem like there are tickets available, but then show you a connection error. If that happens - pick the next time slot. Also, we ordered online, got a mail which we thought was a confirmation email, looked like a confirmation email - but told us our payment failed. So, check the email closely, if you're ordering online. We ended up waiting in the cafe upstairs for an hour - not too bad. Staff was very nice. There's also an elevator in the back. And bring a euro coin for the lockers - you'll have to put you stuff away. Good art, if you're with kids, you can play a game with them of finding all the dogs in the pictures - very fun.

Fazil B.

Google
The place is absolutely fantastic - room after room packed with incredible artworks, and even the courtyard sets the tone before you’ve seen anything. You are left amazed every step of your visit!! The only thing I’d reccomend is to buy tickets in advance. I watched people show up in the morning, walk to the machine, and find everything sold out. Beyond that, it’s an absolute must-visit.

Varto B.

Google
The Pinacoteca di Brera is one of Milan’s true cultural treasures, a magnificent gallery filled with some of Italy’s most iconic masterpieces. The collection is extraordinary, with works by Raphael, Caravaggio, and Mantegna beautifully displayed in elegant, spacious rooms that let you really take in each painting. During our visit, there was an incredible temporary exhibition by Giorgio Armani, and it was absolutely fascinating. Seeing these stunning dresses and impeccably tailored suits displayed alongside centuries-old masterpieces created such an impressive juxtaposition, fashion and fine art in a dialogue that felt perfectly Milanese. It was inspiring to see how elegance and creativity transcend time and medium. The museum itself is a delight to explore, with a calm atmosphere and thoughtful curation. Whether you’re an art lover or simply looking for a refined experience in Milan, the Pinacoteca di Brera is not to be missed. It’s a place where history, style, and artistry meet beautifully.

Una R.

Google
The library right at the entrance was very beautiful. The gallery is full of Jesus paintings which are all quite similar. If you are into that it will be interesting, but otherwise there are better galleries in Milan. At the time we went there was an exhibition of Armani suits which were exquisite so that made it worth the visit. The price for youth is very affordable, 2e.

Cosmin B.

Google
One of the hidden gems of Milano. The building itself is stunning and apart from the pinacoteca, it also houses the University of Belle Arts, a botanical garden and much more. In the pinacoteca, you can get lost for hours admiring the works the many famous italian artists.

Part-time T.

Google
One of the most important painting-art museums for the medieval and early modern Era periods in İtaly. Prior to visit, the most critical masterpieces should ve revewed for better understanding. The musuem hosts approximatelly 500 selected artworks. The exhibition is located in upper level floor of the building. There is also a museum cafe to take a rest with croissant-cappucino as well.

Seokjin H.

Google
This is one of Italy’s three most important art galleries, renowned for its exceptional collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, particularly from northern Italy. The museum occupies a former Jesuit college designed in the 14th century and later remodeled by Francesco Maria Richini in the Neoclassical style. Established in 1809 by order of Napoleon as the central art museum of the Kingdom of Italy, it followed the model of the Louvre in transforming religious and aristocratic collections into public heritage. Located in Milan’s Brera District—now filled with art schools, galleries, and design studios—it remains a vibrant center of artistic life.

Joyce M.

Google
The museum is well ventilated with AC. There are lots of paintings of Jesus Christ and Mary. Took me about 1.5-2 hours to see everything. What I liked the most were the sculptures and statues. Perfect place to go if you love early Renaissance art. The staff speaks English which is good and for each painting, there is a description in English. The price is 15€ which is a bit much.
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Vlad V.

Yelp
Hands-down the best museum in Milan. While there are other museums in Italy that are more impressive, such as the Uffizi in Florence, Pinacoteca di Brera cannot be missed while visiting Milan. You'll find a large collection of Renaissance paintings, pre-Renaissance, and more. Including artists such as Raphael, Caravaggio, and Titian. Part of what makes Pinacoteca di Brera a great experience is the set-up the museum. I paid a little extra for an audio guide. I recommend doing this as you'll get an overview of the prominent artwork in the museum. Though the layout of the museum can be a little confusing (as it's enormous and you're not guided from room to room), there's air-conditioning (which we all know is not always the case in Europe), and the building that houses the art is beautiful. The paintings are also backlit which adds to their splendor. Lastly, there's plenty of seating which is always appreciated at a museum. They even provide supplies to sketch artwork in different places in the museum which is something I've never seen before (I've been to a lot of museums in my day and I've seen people bring their own supplies but not this). You can easily spend two to three hours exploring Pinacoteca di Brera. The building that houses the museum also has an art school so it can be a little confusing to find the front desk. Follow the signage and walk up the stairs after passing through the courtyard area. Then walk through a door and you'll reach the front desk. There are a handful of must visits in Milan. This is one of them.

Barry I.

Yelp
A few days ago,I returned from Milan to the USA. I relished spending a full day at this art museum which has an encyclopedic collection of Italian Paintings from the 13th Century to the late 19th Century. I especially liked their fine collection of Italian Medieval and Early Renaissance Period Paintings.Medieval Period Italian Painters(before 1425) with paintings worthy of encomium included;Master of San Verano,Giovanni Baronzio("Scenes From The Life of Saint Columba"),Barnaba Da Modena("Nativity"),Bernardo Daddi("Saint Lawrence"),Ambrogio Lorenzetti("Virgin and Christ Child"),Lorenzo Veneziano,Andrea di Bartolo and Andrea di Giorgio,Master of Misericordia("Evangelist Writing")Bartolomeo and Jacopino Da Reggio(Reliquary Triptych),Giovanni Da Milano("Madonna and Child Enthroned With Angels"),and Giovanni Da Bologna("Madonna and Child With Angels"),among others. From the International Gothic Period,I savored fine paintings by Gentile Da Fabriano("Crucifixion")and the Spanish Master,Pere Serra("Annunciation").I appreciated the atmosphere of this delightful art museum and the helpfulness of its staff.For those of us that have little or no knowledge of Italian,there is labelling of the works of Art in English with plenty of information in English.
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John H.

Yelp
If you want Classical Renaissance Art you will enjoy your visit. I like how local artisans set up shop out in front. Plenty of eateries nearby.
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Christina C.

Yelp
I know this is maybe crazy but I was expecting more from Pinacoteca di Brera. I was hoping to get more paintings of Tizian, Rafael, Caravaggio and other Renaissance artists, but there is a lot of pre renaissance biblical & religious paintings. Also just few paintings of Rafael and 2 Caravaggio paintings. Unless you are historian and know all this biblical themes. The gallery extremely small compare to other European galleries. It took us 1.5 h tops. I don't regret coming because its still nice gallery over all and beautiful yard and Brera cafe its very charming. I think 15 eur per person its a bit expensive for the ticket.
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Bruce K.

Yelp
Large. 2 hours. No wifi. Get the audio guide. Two hours here in this large art museum that is well organized and contains not just Italian art but all sorts of classic European art from older to newer though not quite modern. Expect at least two hours here. Definitely get the audio guide and be prepared with a proximity card for your payment as for some odd reason they did not have the capability of accepting the usual chip card. Fortunately, Google Pay worked. Four stars because much of the art is backlit by bright white lights and the reflective glass made it difficult to get good pictures. Yes, pictures are allowed without flash. [Review 10716 overall, 484 of 2019.]
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Tyler L.

Yelp
This was the second attraction that we visited in Milan - the first was the Milan Cathedral. We came here because it is listed online as the being the best art museum in the city. While the museum is very large, the artwork is almost all paintings with some sculptures. It is mainly Italian paintings with some stuff from other European countries. After we had already seen some many museums already during our trip (such as the Louvre), this museum did become boring after awhile.
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David F.

Yelp
On our final day in Milan, with time for one last museum, we opted for Pinacoteca di Brera - a great choice as it turned out. We came to the museum after a stroll through the lovely Brera neighborhood and almost missed the rather unassuming entrance. You come in through a magnificent courtyard and then go up a stairway to the second floor and entrance. The Brera is one of those lovely museums you can just get lost in. The numerous rooms trace the development of art from early to more modern stages. There is an immense amount of history and art here, and we found even a couple hours is not enough to cover the whole museum. So unfortunately, at some point we had to skip ahead and make sure we didn't miss some of the highlights before having to go. We loved the paintings by Vincenzo Campi, brilliantly colored, alive images of 16th-century daily life. We had trouble finding the famous "The Kiss" by Hayez. Fortunately, a helpful museum guide guided us through the gallery labyrinth to see it in its current holding spot pending restoral. A feast for art lovers and the best museum we visited in Milan.
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Norm K.

Yelp
This museum was a great stop while we were doing a walking trip in Milan. There are so many paintings, some that are quite unusual and daring given their age. One could not hope to see the entire collection without rapidly walking through. If I lived in or near Milan, I'd visit here several times to see most of the items. If you have but one museum you're planning to see in Milan, make it the Pinacoteca.
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Dave B.

Yelp
I was really looking forward to this museum for which we bought tickets 3 months in advance. But, "chiuso" because of the plague. Why closed? If I am the only visitor how am I going to catch the plague? Seriously, tourists visits are down by 99% in Milano right now. 99% is not an exaggeration. The queue at the Duomo was zero.
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Jay Y.

Yelp
If you can go to only one museum in Milano, Pinacoteca di Brera is it. In fact, I would rank this Pinacoteca as one of the best museums I have been in the world! As a part of the library in the hip Brera district, this Pinacoteca holds an incredible amount of Italian paintings, ranging from the Byzantine art to Renaissance masterpieces to the more modern works. Even if you just speed through the museum, you'll be here for at least an hour to see all the magnificent works in here! While Pinacoteca di Brera lacks world-famous headliners like Louvre's Mona Lisa or Uffizi's Birth of Venus, its collection quality is no less than the more famous counterparts! Many works by master artists like Caravaggio and Caneletto are worth scrutinizing at least for minutes, and some like Bellini's "Madonna and Child" are simply gorgeous surprises that will guarantee to make you at least pause. Thanks to this museum's superb organization, you can see the evolution and the theme of the artwork by eras and regions! If you can, definitely try to go on Thursday night! Typically, the museum offers not only super late night opening (art until 10!) but also incredibly discounted admission of €3 (basically free for the amount of art) - and occasionally even music student performances to further enhance your museum experience. Like the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Pinacoteca di Brera is certainly a must-go destination in Milano. Seriously, don't miss it! --- tl;dr version: 1) One of the best museums in the city and even the world 2) Well-organized and impressive collection of Italian art 3) Thursday night for the best experience 4) Must-go destination in Milano
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Kirk M.

Yelp
So, I was going to walk here using the 'Secret Garden' recommended at the Bulgari where we are staying. The garden is beautiful by the way. However, this secret route is closed for six months. So, I had to go in a huge square on the city sidewalks around the garden on the outside.. It was easy really.. I used my local scope app to direct me here. The museum was filled with amazing biblical artworks and a few large sculptures. You walk into the courtroom outside then climb some steps to the second level ( where you buy tickets ) Zi think it was around 6 - 7 euros entrance fee. It was fairly large with many rooms filled with paintings and fresco rooms! I recommend going to see this attraction.
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Neline S.

Yelp
I'm enchanted by this place and for a brief moment, I thought about seriously applying to art school in Milan just so I can continuously come back here and absorb all the beauty and creativity. Next to the museum is the Accademia de Belle Arti so I was extremely jealous the students had access to all the fine art while they in class creating their own. I literally spent two hours here indulging myself with all the sculptures and paintings.
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Steven H.

Yelp
Even if your visit to Milan is a short one, you should not miss this gem of a museum. It contains an incredible selection of mainly italian art from the 14th century onward, including some stunningly beautiful frescoes and Caravaggios (and even a couple of gorgeous, small Canalettos). Among the other highlights for me were the works of Francesco Hayez, of whom I had never heard before and whose works are beautiful, and the Rubens interpretation of the Last Supper in one of the last galleries. I would allot at least 90 minutes to see this museum, which is housed in a beautifully restored classic building.
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Dana G.

Yelp
Great museum, but really unfriendly staff at the ticket desk. One particular woman was very difficult to deal with. I enjoyed the collection - not too large, but probably wouldn't return.
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Tania L.

Yelp
#420-2016: Try and drag a teenager through this museum whilst keeping your cool, if you succeed you are my bew found hero. On a more serious note, Pinacoteca di Bera is, in my MOST humble opinion, one of those mandatory stops for anyone who even remotely loves art in the form of amazing painting. Granted, as my daughter dutifully noted, most of said paintings portray religious icons (mostly Mary and little Jesus), but I personally could spend endless hours admiring the details and the choice of shades, colors and all this tiny details that have made Italian artists famous in the world. For those of you interested, worth it be noted the Pinacoteca was founded in 1776 by Maria Teresa d'Austria. It has been "donated" to Napoleon during his rule, has suffered multiple attacks during both world wars (luckily the superintendent has been able to save most pieces by storing them away from bombardments). The current set disposes of little short of 40 rooms, in which visitors can admire masterpieces such as Mantegna's "Cristi Morto", Caravaggio's "Cena in Emmaus" (I can never tire marveling at this artist's ability to render lights and shadows), Bellini's "Pietà" (portraying all the suffering of Mary as she holds her dead son in her arms), Bramante's "Cristo alla Colonna", Raffaello Sanzio's "Sposalizio della Vergine" (where the background almost takes over the main scene in all its architectural majestic portrayal).... I could go on and on and on many the countless marvellous paintings that are hosted in these rooms, but then it would Rob potential first-time visitors of the surprise of finding this or that painting is actually right before their very eyes... So, next time you are in town, find a good 3/4 hours (one afternoon) to visit this nice museum... but make sure NOT to bring your teenager child, they will bore to death...
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Niloofar A.

Yelp
A very beautiful collection of paintings and other types of art. Totally enjoyed my time there.
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John O.

Yelp
Just too see "The Marriage of the Virgin (Raphael) " is well worth a visit. I spent most of the time starring at this painting.