Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tion. Now blockbuster shows wow the crowds with artists as diverse as Titian, Bacon and
Dario Fo.
Teatro alla Scala
(La Scala;
www.teatroallascala.org
; Via Filodrammatici 2; Cordusio, Duomo)
Giuseppe Piermarini's
grand 2800-seat theatre was inaugurated in 1778 with Antonio Salieri's
Europa Riconos-
ciuta
, replacing the previous theatre, which burnt down in a fire after a carnival gala.
Costs were covered by the sale of
palchi
(private boxes), of which there are six gilt-and-
crimson tiers. When rehearsals are not in session you can stand in boxes 13, 15 and 18 for
a glimpse of the jewel-like interior.
Ghiringhelli 1; admission €6; 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm)
, harlequin costumes and a spinet
inscribed with the command 'Inexpert hand, touch me not!' hint at centuries of Milanese
musical drama, on and off stage.
OPERA HOUSE
Pinacoteca di Brera
GALLERY
( 02 7226 3264;
www.brera.beniculturali.it
;
Via Brera 28; adult/reduced child €6/3; 8.30am-7.15pm
Tue-Sun; Lanza)
Located upstairs from the centuries-old
Accademia di Belle Arti
(still one
of Italy's most prestigious art schools); this gallery houses Milan's most impressive col-
lection of old masters, much of the bounty 'lifted' from Venice by Napoleon. Rembrandt,
Goya and van Dyck all have a place in the collection, but you're here to see the Italians:
Titian, Tintoretto, glorious Veronese, ground-breaking Mantegna, the Bellini brothers and
a Caravaggio.
Museo Poldi Pezzoli
MUSEUM
( 02 79 48 89;
www.museopoldipezzoli.it
; Via Alessandro Manzoni 12; adult/reduced €9/6;
10am-6pm Wed-Mon; Montenapoleone)
Inheriting his vast fortune at the age of 24, Gian Gi-
acomo Poldi Pezzoli also inherited his mother's love of art; and during extensive
European travels he was inspired by the 'house museum' that was later to become Lon-
don's V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum). As his collection grew, Pezzoli had the idea of
transforming his apartments into a series of historically themed rooms based on the great
art periods of the past (the Middle Ages, early Renaissance, baroque and rococo). Al-
