Gallerie d'Italia - Milano

Gallerie d'Italia is the museum network of the Intesa Sanpaolo bank, and its Milan venue sits on Piazza della Scala, directly facing the famous opera house. Three connected historic buildings link Piazza della Scala, Via Manzoni and Via Morone, housing permanent galleries of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Italian art alongside temporary exhibitions.

Why it matters

This is the rare case of a major art museum occupying a cluster of historic palazzi in Milan's theatrical heart. The permanent path connects three displays: the Nineteenth Century galleries, which incorporate works from the Fondazione Cariplo collections; Cantiere del '900, devoted to twentieth-century Italian art; and The Caveau, a former secure vault area opened to the public as a visible storage space. The museum brings together works from two centuries of Italian art in Milan's historic centre.

What to notice

The three palazzi make courtyards, staircases and vaulted rooms part of the display. The Nineteenth Century galleries include works from the Fondazione Cariplo collections, while Cantiere del '900 presents twentieth-century Italian art, including Divisionism, Futurism and metaphysical painting. The Caveau, a former vault, presents works from the collection in visible storage.

Context and history

The Milan venue grew out of the Intesa Sanpaolo museum project at Piazza della Scala, and the institution has since grown into a network with venues in Naples, Turin and Vicenza. The Milan museum's collections rest substantially on the bank's own patrimony and the long-term presence of the Fondazione Cariplo collections, and the three-building layout across Piazza della Scala, Via Manzoni and Via Morone was conceived to make the whole block a public cultural circuit. The Milan venue also presents temporary exhibitions, photography and design initiatives.