Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

Our visit took about 1 hour and 45 minutes, including the crypt. We arrived at 10:00 am, and it wasn’t crowded - just one group ahead of us. We had pre-booked tickets via GetYourGuide and entered without waiting. There was also no queue for the crypt. The gallery and museum are impressive and rich in history. As the first public library open to the public, the Ambrosiana is remarkable in its own right, including the building. Beyond the paintings, the Cartone of Rafaello movie, the library itself is stunning, and seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex is truly a highlight.

AMAZINNNNGGGGGGGG MUSEUMMMMM! If you need to choose one museum to visit in Milan please come here! They have plenty of collections from paintings, statues, to some meaningful items from the past! The museum have 3 floors, each floor will obviously surprised youuuuu! One of their best collections is the scribble of The School of Athens painting it was so big and when you enter the room you will feel amazed and touched! At the end of the walk you’ll see the library and it was AMAZING! The books still there and obviously they have codex atlanticus the notes and drawing of Leonardo Da Vinci… it was CRAZYYYY TO SEE IT! Omg they also showcase some of the pages of the book there, unbelievable! ♥️ at the end you can buy some souvenirs from the bookshop, amazing 🫶🏻 best 15€ spent (tickets for student with access to the crypt as well) oh and please don’t forget to take picture in their balcony with lots of statues it was pinterest worthy !! 🤭

Worth seeing, but could be much better. It has an art collection, and there is a unique collection of Leonardo da Vinci's writings (Codex Atlanticus). The building is also quite nice. However, the art collection is somewhat scattered, and the recommended path through the collection is confusing and hard to follow. Also, I thought they would show items from their vast book collection, but none of it is on display. Granted, there is a whole room with the Codex Atlanticus, but it would have been nice to see some of many other books in the collection. The gift shop/book shop is quite ok.

It was a drizzly day in Milan, so I decided to skip a planned visit to Parco Sempione and go,instead, to a museum. The Ambrosiana is a very short walk from the Duomo metro stop. The art is beauiful. I always prefer statues to paintings, and there were plenty of both. As you exit the art gallery, you pass through the biblioteca, the library portion of the Ambrosiana. There are apparently one million printed volumes in the library. I don't know how many you see as you are leaving, but the shelves are impressive. Some of the library's collection of daVinci notes and drawings are on display.

If you're stuck in Milan on Monday, and you have already seen Duomo and Sforza, this is the only decent place left that will engage you for a couple hours! I admit I went there because I didn't really have a choice (everything else I was interested in was closed), but I loved the art exhibition there and the underground church was very unique. Highly recommended! Tip: if you're taking an audioguide device, keep in mind that there's 1 Eur fee for wired headphones. If you already have a suitable pair, use it.

Super nice museum. The museum’s circulation and exhibitions are exquisitely designed, with beautiful classical paintings, courtyard landscapes, and curatorial arrangements.

The museum is located inside the historic Biblioteca Ambrosiana, one of Europe’s oldest libraries. The library was founded in 1607 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, who then established the art gallery in 1618 by donating his personal collection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings. This made the Ambrosiana one of the first institutions in Italy to integrate public art display with formal artistic education. Today, the gallery houses more than 1,500 works and 248 drawings, arranged thematically and chronologically across 24 exhibition rooms. Visitors can admire masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Botticelli, Bramantino, and others — and also explore the historic library that still accompanies the gallery.

The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, located in Milan, is both an art gallery and one of the oldest libraries in the city. Founded in 1618 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, it was established as a center of learning and culture, and today it houses an extraordinary collection of artworks, manuscripts, and historical artifacts. Among its most celebrated treasures is Leonardo da Vinci’s Portrait of a Musician, as well as the Codex Atlanticus, the largest surviving collection of his drawings and scientific writings, which provide unique insight into the genius of the Renaissance master. Another highlight of the collection is Raphael’s preparatory cartoon for the School of Athens—a monumental black-and-white drawing that served as the design for the famous fresco in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The gallery also features works by other great masters, including Titian and Caravaggio. In addition to its artistic holdings, the Ambrosiana includes a historic library with rare manuscripts and ancient texts, underscoring its role as a hub of scholarship for centuries. Beneath the gallery lies an ancient crypt, adding to the site’s historical and architectural significance.

Everybody heads to "The Last Supper" while in Milan but I liked this museum much more. For fans of da Vinci here are some reasons to head here: 'Portrait of a Musician": unfinished da Vinci painting, his only known male portrait and to me has a similar emblematic and mysterious facial expression as the Mona Lisa. There was a printed Last Supper mural in this room that everyone was taking photos of and ignoring this real da Vinci! Codex Atlanticus: Collection of writings and drawings by da Vinci. There are scans online but they have been recolored blue so you could see them better but nothing can beat the well-lit originals where you can see finer details, erase marks, and small mistakes. The pages rotate every 6 months so you can see new pages. Whole I was visiting there were oages on mayh, machinery, and gears. Museum was founded in 1618 and has 24 rooms. You can easily spend an hour and a half here minimum. If you buy the dual ticket there is a crypt right at the museum exit you can also go to though that is much faster than the museum. Here are some other things I enjoyed: Caravaggio Basket of Fruit: painted on an empty background, I'm not sure if this was the intent but it makes the painting more timeless and draws the eye to the detail on the plate of fruit. The apple is rotting and the leaves have bits of decay, the grapes are opaque but have an amazing translucent quality to them. Napolean Bonaparte gloves: made from buckskin and worn by Napolean at his definitive defeat at Waterloo. I love how casually these are displayed in the box they were gifted to the museum in. Dolce and Gabbana da Vinci clock recreation: mechanical and functioning, created from a da Vinci sketch. The building itself is red brick and stunning from the outside. You can see different masonry techniques from different eras and the imperfections in alignment and depth give it a nice human touch.

4.5 and rounded up. For a smaller museum, it packs a punch! I purchased this ticket in combination with the Duomo cathedral, rooftop and Duomo Museum for €35,50, which was a good value since individual tickets for this place are €15. Since it's located a short walk (10ish minutes if you aren't really familiar with the area) away from the Duomo Museum, I came here toward the end of the day after also visiting the Palazzo Reale. There's something about antique and unique libraries that draws you in. Taking in the sights, sounds, smells of tomes older than most buildings in Manhattan, and the architectural details of the spaces they are housed in--knowledge and history come alive. In the case of this museum, the 12 volumes of the Codex Atlanticus are housed here, which are the most extensive compilation of writings and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, compiled posthumously by sculptor Pompeo Leoni in the late 16th-early 17th centuries. By combining some of da Vinci's loose notes and pages from notebooks onto large-dimension paper, used to print atlases at the time, the compilation became known as the Codex Atlanticus. Subjects covered by da Vinci fall into the categories of: 1) geometry and algebra, 2) physical and natural sciences, 3) tools and machines, 4) architecture and applied arts, 5) human sciences. Aside from above, there are a few other noteworthy displays of art by mostly Italian masters, da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli and Caravaggio included, with a couple Dutch painters like Brueghel and Bosch sprinkled in. Arriving at close to 4pm on a Saturday, it was a bit rushed to try and get thru everything in roughly 45 minutes (they start to usher people out starting around 15min before the museum closed), though the floor plans and direction of exhibits were pretty straightforward--the exhibits start on the second floor and you make your way down back to the first floor again. The exit of the museum is separate from the entrance so it took a few minutes to walk back around.

Simply Devine! I have always had a love affair with Milan and The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana is one of the main contributors! I adore this place for all the right reasons. Incredibly comprehensive is content, relaxed and a delight to spend a morning afternoon or full day visiting.

On a recent trip to Milan, I checked out Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in the afternoon. You can get a combo ticket for the museum and the Duomo di Milan (a must-visit) which is what I ended up doing when I purchased my ticket online. It's less than a ten minute walk from the Duomo. I have been to a lot of museums in my day and this is standard fare. It's a small museum and the collection consists of mostly Italian artists. There are more impressive museums in Milan but Pinacoteca Ambrosiana is still well worth your time. The museum is well laid out (it's not one of those experiences where it's easy to get lost and miss some areas). And it's a great way to learn about some Italian artists outside of the heavy hitters we all know.

This museum consists two dozens of rooms, and you can admire some of the greatest masterpieces of all time here. This museum is not as popular as other attractions in Milan, and I would still recommend a one to two hours visit if you get the time and interested in the artworks. Few most famous artworks here are the Portrait of a Musician by Leonardo da Vinci, and the magnificent Vases of Flowers by Jan Brueghel. If you have extra time, you can also end it with the descent into the crypt of the Holy Sepulcher underground the museum.

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana came onto my radar when I saw a posting of their library, at least the one open to the public, pop up on my feed. Mink loves libraries and I thought it would be a great photo opportunity for her too so I added it to our itinerary. When we arrived, we learned that it was a museum and that to get to the library, you have to pay for admission. Little did we know that this museum was about Leonardo da Vinci. It makes sense since there is a statue of him and marketing materials of Leonardo all over Milan. They are very proud of him as a city. We paid entry and walked it after learning about this. It was a great find because we enjoy museums and took our time walking through. I must have gazed at several painting that caught my eye for a good length of time as Mink went off to discover and had to come back to get me. They do have a library in the center that is only open to students and teachers. The one available to the public is toward the end of the museum before the gift shop. It was humbling to be there to see documents with his handwriting and sketches along with all the beautiful art. This was one of the best things we did in Milan and one that we both really enjoyed. Must do when in Milan!

On the smaller side of a museum but not lacking attractiveness! It housed a beautiful collection including da Vinci's Portrait of a Musician! At the time of my visit there was da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus exhibition in the library. It was such a treat to be able to see them in person.

The oldest museum in Milan, I spent close to two hours here. It's a decent sized building and they have a good variety of exhibits. I'm not sure if the Codex Atlanticus is a permanent exhibit, but seeing a selection of Leonardo Da Vinci's original drawings was inspiring. I was able to get quite close to them and see the incredible detail. Also on display, many artworks and sculptures and original pieces. The "Obelisco egizio" by Giovanni (1827) was beautiful and I simply can't imagine the amount of effort and artistry involved in making such a thing. One complaint I have is that while they allow photographs (no flash, of course), many of the exhibits have a reflective glass that makes it impossible to get a good picture of the art without the glare of the lighting. It would be great if they could put in non-reflective glass. Tip: I've posted a picture of the entrance. Look for that, because it doesn't really stand out from the buildings around it. [Review 10697 overall, 465 of 2019.]

The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, housed within the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, is the oldest museum in Milan (1613!). Finding it on foot was a bit of a challenge, even guided by Google Maps, but after a few wrong turns we finally turned an inauspicious corner and there was the entrance. Historic building in and of itself; some beautiful staircases. You feel like you're walking through history, which you are in some respect. You'll encounter works by Rafael, Caravaggio and even Leonardo. Beautiful copies of Michelangelo's Pieta and Laocoon are also here. There is a wonderful exhibit room for selections from Leondardo's Atlantic Codex notebook drawings. Housed in an ancient library room with old books reaching to the ceiling it's an amazing experience. This museum is undeservedly not on many peoples "must-see" list, but as a result, you can escape from the tourist herd and enjoy a quiet, serene museum experience. We wandered through the maze of rooms, with relatively few visitors, and could linger undisturbed at whatever we wanted. Certainly a respite from the Duomo and Galleria crowds!

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana was perhaps my biggest reason to visit Milan, even more so than the grand Duomo, because the collection in here is legendary. Sadly, this museum failed my expectation because of poor curating... As a part of the Ambrosian Library, the Pinacoteca holds a collection of incredible artworks, manuscripts, and memorabilia. In the entrance hall alone, every single artwork can easily become a headliner in most major cities' art museums. Aside from possessing priceless works from famous artists like Titian and Raphael, the Pinacoteca also has precious manuscripts, most notably Leonardo da Vinci's handwritten notes "Codex Atlanticus". Sadly, many of these treasures were not displayed with the same dignity that they should have. Already at the entrance hall, some name labels were on the verge of falling and few paintings were even slightly tilted. Most bizarrely, the legendary memorabilia were also casually placed: for example, Napoleon's gloves during Waterloo was cramped with many other less important items in a small display case while Lucretia Borgia's hair - a treasure that was exemplified as the headliner piece - was placed near the bottom of a display cabinet. Only Leonardo da Vinci's "Musician" and few pages of his codex were displayed with reverence but that is perhaps to match with the time when Leonardo da Vinci is more well-known to the general populace than a Renaissance beauty's hair or a military general's gloves. Overall, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana sadly feels like an afterthought despite of its legendary collection, which I think many of which were not on display. Aside from the display issues, the whole museum feels like it's overdue for a restoration despite being "recently" damaged in WWII. Even as a Renaissance art fan, I thought the whole museum was underwhelming. Unless you truly have to see specific items (as I did), I don't think this is a museum worth seeing. --- tl;dr version: 1) Legendary collection but underwhelming museum 2) Not worth seeing unless you absolutely have to see specific items

The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, which houses the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery (which is probably what most people are actually reviewing here). The Pinacoteca has a beautiful collection of religious art, focusing on Italian Renaissance, but also including some earlier pieces and 17th-20th century works by a variety of artists. The collection is based on the collection of Cardinal Federico Borromeo, who donated first some of his statues to the Biblioteca in 1607 and then founded the Pinacoteca in 1618. The Biblioteca/Pinacoteca are beautiful spaces to enjoy and offer a more affordable, more peaceful space to take in Renaissance art than some of the more well touristed galleries. The Pinacoteca also currently has a special exhibit on view of some of Leonardo DaVinci's codex pages from his Treatsie on Painting, which makes it particularly trip worthy.

After purchasing tickets in a combo deal with the Last Supper, I read reviews on this painting gallery and was thinking maybe we would skip it if we had other things to do once we got to Milan. However, we didn't, and I'm glad I didn't listen to what's been written here. I am by no means an art aficionado, but enjoy seeing more famous works by artists that I learned about while in school. The library section with the pages from the Codex of da Vinci are worth it in and of itself. However, within, there are also the gloves of Napoleon, a Botticelli, Portrait of a Musician by da Vinci, and countless other beautiful paintings primarily from the Italian styles of art: Genovese, Milanese, Roman, etc. The museum is maze-like, which adds to the charm. The building is absolutely gorgeous, contrary to some comments here. At one point, you walk in to a 'sala' and are unexpectedly met with mosaic art and a breathtaking staircase. I snuck a photo. (I was ready for militant enforcement of no photos based on what I had read online, but nobody bothered me or even so much as looked my way re: photos.) The codex pages were well-light and just unbelievably cool. Admittedly, we did gloss over some of the rooms, as it seems like there were ten million paintings of the virgin mother; however, it's a painting gallery in Italy -- we expected some paintings that we didn't know and/or weren't necessarily interested in. With regard to the price...Fifteen euro each for my husband and I to visit a beautiful museum from the 1600s with originals from Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Caravaggio etc seemed more than fair. I would have paid more, even. There are plenty of reductions available for students and other groups. If you're looking for a bargain, this probably isn't the thing for you. If you're looking for a once in a lifetime experience to see beautiful works by the greats, I wouldn't miss it. Oh, and very quaint gift shop after. We got frame-able reprints of codex pages and the divine proportion (la divina proporzione can be seen on display in the library) for only fourteen euro.

Largest collection of Leonardo Di Vinci's drawings. Very interesting art gallery with lots of interesting pieces. I loved seeing Raphael's sketch of "The school of Athen" here (the one where the finished work is housed in the Vatican), and there's a few interesting artistic interpretations of biblical references. Highly recommended not to miss this gem, and definitely less touristy - and quite empty to slowly walkthrough and take the time to appreciate the art!