Musei Civici di Palazzo Mosca

Pesaro's Civic Museums in Palazzo Mosca bring together paintings, maiolica, historic documents and works associated with the Rossini family.

Why it matters

The collections preserve Pesaro's artistic and civic history through objects gathered by bequest and donation. The museum's setting in a former noble residence adds the history of the Mosca family to the story of the works it contains.

What to notice

Giovanni Bellini's Coronation of the Virgin, painted around 1475, is a centrepiece of the picture gallery. Other works include paintings by Simone Cantarini and Guido Reni, and the Hercolani Rossini collection. Ceramic displays feature maiolica from Urbino, Casteldurante, Pesaro and Gubbio, as well as Deruta lustreware and Pesaro ceramics.

Context and history

The museum has occupied Palazzo Mosca since 1936. The palace was the residence of the Mosca family, whose building was modernised in the eighteenth century by Luigi Baldelli. In 1885 Marquise Vittoria Toschi bequeathed her palace and collections to the city, intending to establish a teaching museum of applied arts. Later donations, including the Rossini and Vinciguerra collections, expanded the civic holdings.