Today the museum’s collection can be considered one of the most prestigious private collections in Europe.
The museum was opened in 1881 after the death of Gian Giacomo Poldi-Pezzoli (one of the most enlightened collectors in Europe), who bequeathed his rich collection to the city.
In an atmosphere of amazing harmony, masterpieces of painting (the school of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, Tiepolo, Canaletto and others) coexist here with interior items and works of decorative and applied art of exceptional interest.
Poldi-Pezzoli was a passionate collector of antique weapons, and the Hall of Arms was the starting point for the entire subsequent collection.
In 2000, the most famous Italian sculptor of our time, Arnaldo Pomodoro, creatively reconstructed this room. The master offers his own special vision, where objects of weaponry are transformed into works of decorative art of exceptional beauty.
The collections of mechanical and sundial clocks, ceramics, Murano glass are also very interesting.
The jewellery collection, from antiquity to the neoclassical period, is the real gem of the collection.
Separate mention should be made of the museum building itself. The Poldi-Pezzoli mansion is one of the first and most successful examples of Stoicism in Europe: styles from different historical periods (Gothic, Renaissance, Rococo) inspired the creation of each individual room.
