Milano’s house museums, and the castle that isn’t one
The five houses
The Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, Villa Necchi Campiglio, the Boschi Di Stefano House Museum, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, and Manzoni House. These are homes, not galleries: you visit them as you would someone’s apartment, with rooms and objects in their place, which is why you might see two in an afternoon, not five.
The house they don’t call a house museum
The Ducal Court of the castle, on the park side, U-shaped, was the residence of the Dukes of Milan: first the Visconti, then the Sforza from 1450, when Francesco Sforza rebuilt the castle as a court residence. Galeazzo Maria and later Ludovico il Moro made it one of the richest courts in Europe, with Leonardo in their service for nearly twenty years. The ducal rooms are now part of the Ancient Art Museum: the Ducal Chapel with Bonifacio Bembo’s frescoes, the Treasure Room with the Argo, Bramante’s small bridge over the moat, and Leonardo’s Sala delle Asse, currently closed for restoration. The courtyard is free to visit; the rooms require the combined museum ticket. Who lived there, by name.
Poldi Pezzoli and Bagatti Valsecchi are a few minutes from Brera, which is a few minutes from the castle: an afternoon with one house museum, the courtyards, and the Pietà Rondanini is manageable without rushing.
With a guide in the dukes’ rooms
The two-hour private tour covers the fortress, the barracks era, and the private chambers, ending at the Pietà Rondanini. The small-group 90-minute tour starts at the Pietà and explores the Corte Ducale and Rocchetta from the outside. The castle’s private tours.
Private · 6 languagesMilan: private guided tour of Castello Sforzesco
Small group · 5 languagesMilan: Castello Sforzesco and Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini tour
Private rooms of the dukes, with a private guide
Two hours with a guide and audio guides, museum entry included, from the fortress to the private rooms and the Pietà Rondanini, meeting point at the fountain in Piazza Castello. Minimum numbers: the operator may cancel after confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
What are Milan’s house museums?
Museo Bagatti Valsecchi, Villa Necchi Campiglio, Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, and Casa del Manzoni. Which districts they’re in.
Is Castello Sforzesco a house museum?
No, but the Corte Ducale was the dukes’ residence, and its rooms now house the Museum of Ancient Art. The castle’s museums.
Where did the Sforzas live?
In the Corte Ducale of the castle, with Vigevano and Pavia as other seats. Where the Sforzas lived.