Founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, the Biblioteca Ambrosiana was one of the first public libraries in Europe and remains one of the most important repositories of manuscripts and early printed books in Italy. The institution sits in a quiet square in central Milan and houses, alongside the library proper, a notable picture gallery known as the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. Cardinal Federico, cousin of the more famous Saint Carlo Borromeo, modelled his library on the great humanist collections of the previous century, but went further by opening it to all who could read, with no restrictions of class, profession or denomination. Scholars from across Europe were soon making their way to Milan to consult the books. The collection includes around a million printed volumes and tens of thousands of manuscripts, among them ancient and medieval codices of singular value. The most famous holding is the Codex Atlanticus, the largest surviving collection of drawings and writings by Leonardo da Vinci, bound into twelve volumes and partially displayed in the Pinacoteca on a rotating basis. The Pinacoteca opened in 1618 with works donated by the cardinal himself and has grown over four centuries into a fine collection of Italian Renaissance and baroque painting. Among its treasures are a cartoon by Raphael for his School of Athens fresco in the Vatican, Leonardo Portrait of a Musician, Caravaggio Basket of Fruit, the only known still life by the master, and important works by Titian, Botticelli and Bramantino. The library historic reading rooms preserve much of their seventeenth-century character, with carved wooden bookcases, frescoed ceilings and busts of scholars looking down from the walls, and the institution remains an active research centre, with academic doctoral programmes in subjects such as palaeography and Slavic studies. The Ambrosiana lies just a few steps from the Duomo and the Piazza dei Mercanti, and is often overlooked by visitors making for the more famous Brera Pinacoteca to the north. For those who do find it, the combination of a great early library, important paintings and rooms full of carved bookcases makes for one of the more rewarding cultural stops in Milan.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Piazza Pio XI 2, Milan, Italy

Website: https://www.ambrosiana.it

Opening Date: 08/12/1609