An elegant old patrician house is the setting for this art museum, which originated in the 19th century as the private collection of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli and his mother, Rosa Trivulzio. Highlights are paintings by Botticelli, Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, GuardÃ, and other artists, as well as jewelry, silver, bronzes, porcelains, Etruscan pottery, armor, and weapons.
Textiles in the museum include Flemish and Persian carpets, tapestries, a large collection of hand-worked lace, and a very rare embroidery designed by Botticelli.
The house itself is worth seeing, as artworks and other collections are shown in a combination of room settings and gallery spaces, redecorating many of the rooms in the mid-1800s to showcase the collections. Poldi-Pezzoli Museum is one of four houses that form the Circuito delle Case Museo di Milano, Milan Museum House Network, with admission on a single ticket.
