culture Archive

Leonardo da Vinci’s San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist), is on loan from the Louvre and in Milan! There is a special exhibit at the Palazzo Marino (near La Scala theatre) which opened November 27th and goes until Dec. 27.

The Bibliotheca Ambrosiana here in Milan is famous for housing some of the most well known manuscripts of the time. It contains 30,000 manuscripts, including a 5th-century illustrated Iliad, early editions of Dante’s Divine Comedy (1353), and theMuratorian Canon (170 AD), which is the earliest example of an authoritative list of Biblical books. These collections are all from Cardinal Borromeo, and after his death, a collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s work began.

Now, the collection of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks (taken from the Codex Atlanticus), are due to go on display 45 pages at a time (due to preservation requirements). After that, a new collection will be on display and will rotate every three months. The current collection, until December 2, is da Vinci’s military drawings.

The museum’s collections are displayed behind glass cases so as to prevent theft and destruction, but the library gives you the chance to check out some of da Vinci’s work you won’t find anywhere else.

Website

Hours 9.00 – 19.00 (tues-sun)

Address: Piazza Pio XI, 2 02 806 921

If you live in Milan, or if you are visiting for any amount of time, visiting the inside of La Scala and attending a show should be on the top of your must do list. If does not matter if you like Opera or Ballet, La Scala is one of the most beautiful theaters you will experience. Built in 1776, La Scala is always mentioned as one of the top opera houses in the world. Great works such as Rossini’s “La Gazza ladra,” Bellini’s “Norma,” Donizetti’s “Lucrezia Borgia,” Verdi’s “I Lombardi,” Boito’s “Mefistofele,” and Ponchielli’s “La Gioconda” have been first premiered at La Scala.
The praises of La Scala go on and on, from the superb acoustics of the theater to the 3600 capacity, there is nothing not to admire. Tickets are hard to come by for the opera, but you must get inside somehow- perhaps attend a ballet, or a concert. You will not be disappointed.

Check the website and ticket office daily, becuase sometimes last minute tickets become available.

Opening night is December 7th where the most well prestige of Milan wear their finest and come for one of the best nights of the year. This year, opening night will show George Bizet’s opera Carmen.

Below is the list of upcoming shows. The ones in bold still have tickets available, so check the website!

Until January 2010, near the Piazza Duomo is an exhibit of the American painter Edward Hopper (1882-1967)

The exhibit holds more than 160 works by Hopper including the paintings of: Summer Interior, Pennsylvania Coal Town, Morning Sun, Second Story Sunlight, A Woman in the Sun and various others. Most of the paintings are borrowed from the Whitney Museum in NYC.

It is an exhibit not to be missed. And its right downtown, so make sure to stop by.

Piazza del Duomo, 12

The Triennale of Milan is now running an exhibit (that opened September 27th) entitled ‘Frank O Gehry since 1997,’ that will run until January of 2010. The exhibition cosists of models, drawings and photographs highlighting the architect’s stylistic change since the opening of Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum. This is the first exhibition at the Triennalle dedicated to renown architect Frank O. Gehry and so if you are in Milan these next few months, you must stop by.

Canadian born Franck O. Gehry is recognized as one of the worlds most influential architects, and has created some of the most complex and modern structures of our times. His most famous works include the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Basque Country, Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, Experience Music Project in Seattle, Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic and the MARTa Museum in Herford, Germany.

“Since 1997″ is the first time Gehry made his works available in a museum here in Milan and the exhibit is meant to show how the structures Gehry has produced communicates with the environment they are placed in. The buildings currently being exhibited include DZ Bank Building in Berlin and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Closed monday, but give yourself enough time to also go to Triennale’s design cafe!

Triennale Di Milano
Address: Viale Emilio Alemagna, 6
Tel: 39.02.724341

Dates:27 Sep 2009 – 10 Jan 2010; not Mon

Cost: €8; concessions €5-€6

Hours:Tue-Sun 10.30am-8.30pm (until 11pm Thu)

What’s coming up in Milano: