# Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan > The Pinacoteca di Brera is Milan's leading art gallery, in the Brera palace in the old bohemian quarter near La Scala. It holds Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin, Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus, Hayez's The Kiss and the finest collection of northern Italian painting. Entry is paid; allow about two hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/pinacoteca-di-brera - City: [Milan](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan), Italy - YesGo score: 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Paid; free on the first Sunday of the month - Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday, closed Monday - Highlights: Raphael, Caravaggio, Hayez, Mantegna, Piero - Tickets: Official site pinacotecabrera.org and the desk - Time needed: About 2 hours - Metro: Lanza (M2) or Montenapoleone (M3), 5–7 minutes - Coordinates: 45.47194, 9.18768 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1809** — the gallery opened under Napoleon (source: English Wikipedia) - **1504** — Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin (source: English Wikipedia) - **1606** — Caravaggio painted the Supper at Emmaus (source: English Wikipedia) - **1859** — Francesco Hayez painted The Kiss (source: English Wikipedia) - **Canova** — the courtyard's bronze Napoleon follows his model (source: English Wikipedia) ## A short history The Brera palace was built in the 17th century as a Jesuit college; in the 18th century it became home to the **Academy of Fine Arts**, a library, an observatory and a botanical garden — all still here. The gallery was created under **Napoleon** and opened in **1809**, filled with paintings taken from closed churches and monasteries across northern Italy to make Milan's great museum. That's why Brera is so rich in large **altarpieces** — once scattered in churches, now gathered in one place. The collection spans Lombard and Venetian painting from the 14th to the 20th century, plus masterpieces from other Italian schools. ## The masterpieces Brera's best-known works are Raphael's **Marriage of the Virgin** (1504), painted when he was 21, and Piero della Francesca's **Montefeltro Altarpiece**, with an ostrich egg hanging from a shell above the Madonna. Nearby is Caravaggio's **Supper at Emmaus** (1606), dark and hushed, quite unlike his bright early work. Many come for **The Kiss** by Francesco Hayez (1859), perhaps Italy's most famous 19th-century painting: a young man in a hat kissing a girl in a blue dress on a shadowy stair. The gallery also has outstanding **Mantegna** — including his Lamentation over Christ, seen in startling foreshortening from the feet — plus **Giovanni Bellini**, Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. ## What to see - **Marriage of the Virgin** — Raphael, 1504. - **Montefeltro Altarpiece** — Piero della Francesca. - **Supper at Emmaus** — Caravaggio, 1606. - **The Kiss** — Francesco Hayez, 1859. - **Lamentation over Christ** — Andrea Mantegna. - **Napoleon in the courtyard** — bronze after Canova. ## How the gallery works The gallery fills the palace's first floor, reached by the grand staircase from Napoleon's courtyard. Numbered rooms run in a loop from 14th-century altarpieces through the Venetians and Lombards to Raphael, Caravaggio and the 19th century. Labels are in Italian and English, there's an audio guide, and large bags go in the free cloakroom. > **Restoration behind glass** One room has a glass-walled conservation studio where you can watch restorers at work. Entry is usually free on the first Sunday of the month — expect a queue and arrive at opening. ## The Brera quarter Around the palace lies the **Brera quarter**, the most picturesque corner of old Milan: cobbled Via Brera, **Via Fiori Chiari** and Via Madonnina, with antique shops, galleries, cafés and terrace restaurants. Artists and Academy students once lived here, and it was nicknamed Milan's Montmartre. In the evening tables spill onto the streets, and Via Fiori Chiari hosts an antiques market on some weekends. Through the same courtyard as the gallery you can enter the small, quiet 18th-century **Brera Botanical Garden** for free. ## How to get there 1. Metro M2 to **Lanza**, 5 minutes on foot. 2. Metro M3 to **Montenapoleone**, 7 minutes on foot. 3. From [La Scala](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/la-scala), 7 minutes along Via Verdi. 4. From [Sforza Castle](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/sforza-castle), 10 minutes' walk. ## Is the Pinacoteca di Brera worth it? Yes, if you love painting: it's one of Italy's finest galleries, yet compact enough not to exhaust you, unlike the Uffizi. Even if a museum wasn't in your plans, come for Hayez and Raphael — then wander the Brera lanes for coffee and antiques. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Check it isn't a Monday - [ ] Buy a ticket online or at the desk - [ ] Find Raphael, Caravaggio and The Kiss - [ ] Peek into the glass conservation studio - [ ] Then stroll Via Fiori Chiari ## Milan's museums: compare and choose Museums and galleries in Milan rated by YesGo. - [The Last Supper](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/last-supper) — YesGo score 72/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Paid, booking only - [San Siro Stadium](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/san-siro) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Paid - [La Scala](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/la-scala) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid - [Sforza Castle](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/sforza-castle) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Courtyards free, museums paid - [Pinacoteca di Brera](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/pinacoteca-di-brera) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid - [Pinacoteca Ambrosiana](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/pinacoteca-ambrosiana) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Paid ## Brera and the fashion district The Pinacoteca di Brera, a stroll through Brera, La Scala and Via Monte Napoleone. 1. [Pinacoteca di Brera](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/pinacoteca-di-brera) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid 2. [La Scala](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/la-scala) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid 3. [Via Monte Napoleone](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/via-monte-napoleone) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 4. [Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II](https://yesgo.io/italy/milan/galleria-vittorio-emanuele) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free ## Don't mix it up The Pinacoteca di Brera isn't the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana near the Duomo — two separate museums. The Ambrosiana holds Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit and Leonardo's Portrait of a Musician. ## Tips - Closed on Mondays. - Free on the first Sunday. - Don't miss The Kiss. - The Brera quarter is all around. ## Questions ### What are the highlights of the Pinacoteca di Brera? Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin, Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus, Hayez's The Kiss, Piero della Francesca's altarpiece and Mantegna. ### When is Brera free? Usually on the first Sunday of the month. ### How long do you need at Brera? About two hours for the main rooms. ### When is the Pinacoteca di Brera closed? On Mondays. ### Where is the Pinacoteca di Brera? In the Brera palace at Via Brera 28, 7 minutes' walk from La Scala. ## How we checked History and collection from English Wikipedia. Prices, hours and free days weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Pinacoteca di Brera - Official site pinacotecabrera.org --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.