MUSEO POLDI PEZZOLI

The Poldi Pezzoli Museum, located in the heart of Milan, is one of Italy's most famous house museums, opened on 25 April 1881. It exhibits masterpieces by artists such as Perugino, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Pollaiolo, Bellini, Michelangelo, Mantegna, Palma il Vecchio, Hayez, Tiepolo, Ribera, Canaletto, Cranach il Vecchio and Luca Giordano.

The building housing the museum dates back to the 17th century and was purchased in the 18th century by Giuseppe Pezzoli, an ancestor of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli. The architect Simone Cantoni renovated it in neoclassical style, endowing it with a large English garden with statues and fountains. Between 1850 and 1853, Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli entrusted the architect Giuseppe Balzaretto with a new renovation, in parallel with the renovation of his own flat.

Established as a private collection, the museum houses the works of art of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli and his family, in particular his mother Rosa Trivulzio, who belonged to a noble Milanese dynasty and was in contact with Neoclassical intellectuals such as Vincenzo Monti and Giuseppe Parini.

Having inherited the palace and the family patrimony when he came of age, Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli passionately devoted himself to expanding the collection, initially concentrating on arms and armour, which were highly sought after at the time. His travels throughout Europe brought him into contact with international collectors and exhibitions, increasing his interest in a wide range of arts: from painting to textiles and tapestries, from glass and ceramics to goldsmiths and applied arts. A frequent visitor and guest of European artists and intellectuals, his refined and cosmopolitan taste gave rise to a priceless collection that is now part of the city's heritage.