Museo del Novecento

The Museo del Novecento, opened in 2010 in the Arengario building on the corner of Piazza del Duomo, is Milan's museum of twentieth-century art and one of the most rewarding short visits in the city. The building itself is a piece of history: the twin Arengario palaces were begun in the 1930s, in the stripped classical style of the Fascist era, as a ceremonial balcony over the square. You enter at ground level and climb a spiral ramp past Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo's huge painting The Fourth Estate, the 1901 image of striking workers marching forward that became an icon of the Italian labour movement. From there the museum moves through the century roughly in order. The Futurist rooms are the most important collection of their kind anywhere, with Umberto Boccioni's sculpture Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, the striding figure that appears on the Italian twenty-cent coin, and paintings by Balla, Carra and Severini. Then come Giorgio de Chirico's metaphysical squares, Giorgio Morandi's quiet bottles, Modigliani, Sironi, Arturo Martini and the abstract and post-war artists. The finale is Lucio Fontana: his slashed canvases and, in a glass-walled room at the top, his swirling neon ceiling sculpture of 1951, hanging in front of a huge window that frames the Duomo across the square. It is one of the best views of the cathedral facade in Milan, and worth the visit on its own. In October 2026 work began on the second Arengario building next door, to double the museum's space with a suspended walkway between the two; the existing museum remains open, and completion is not expected before 2028.

Practicalities: the Museo del Novecento is one of Milan's civic museums, open from Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, with later opening on some evenings. Tickets are inexpensive, and the city runs free-entry times on certain days, which can be busy. The temporary exhibition space on the upper floor changes through the year; in autumn 2026 it holds a show dedicated to the critic Tommaso Trini and new focus rooms on Vincenzo Agnetti, Enrico Castellani and Milanese artists of the 1970s and 1980s, included in the ticket. An entry ticket with a digital audio guide, sold through platforms such as Tiqets, is a good way to follow the story of Italian modernism, which is less familiar to most visitors than French or American art. Allow about ninety minutes.

How to see it: do not rush the spiral ramp; The Fourth Estate deserves a pause. In the Futurist rooms, look at how Boccioni and Balla tried to paint speed and movement; then notice how de Chirico and Morandi turn the other way, towards stillness. Save the top floor for last, and time it, if you can, for late afternoon, when the light on the Duomo facade is warm. Because of the building works next door, expect occasional changes to the route or to the entrance; follow the signs on the day.

Fitting it in: the museum is on the Duomo square, so it slots easily into a central day, before or after the cathedral terraces. It is a good choice for families with older children, who often enjoy the bright colours and strange shapes of modern art more than old masters, and for anyone who wants a quick, high-quality museum without queues. Next door, the Palazzo Reale hosts major temporary exhibitions through the year.