The pleasant effect of seeing the Bellinis, Botticellis, and Tiepolos amid these salons is reminiscent of a visit to other private collections, such as the Frick Collection in New York City and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. This stunning treasure trove leans a bit toward Venetian painters (such as Francesco Guardi's elegantly moody Grey Lagoon), but also ventures widely throughout Italian painting and into the northern and Flemish schools. It was amassed by 19th-century collector Giacomo Poldi-Pezzoli, who donated his villa and its treasures to the city in 1881. Antonio Pollaiuolo's Portrait of a Young Woman is often likened to the Mona Lisa, in that it is a haunting image you will recognize immediately upon seeing it. The collections also include porcelain, watches, jewels, and many of the palazzo's original furnishings. CD-ROM terminals let you explore bits of the collections not currently on display, especially arms and armor, the best of which is housed in an elaborate pietra serena room designed by Pomodoro. For now, the museum offers free audio guides (there may be a charge in the future). The admission ticket you buy here will include admission to the Museo Teatrale alla Scala.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Northern Italy, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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