Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna: the works to look for, room by room
What to see at the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna: Raphael’s Saint Cecilia, Giotto’s polyptych, the Carracci, Guido Reni and Lavinia Fontana.
Musei Pittura 11 min
Archive
Museums & masterpieces
Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice: 7 works to see (and one that is not there)
The works to see at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice: Giorgione’s Tempest, Veronese’s Feast, Bellini, Tintoretto and Carpaccio, with opening hours.
Musei Pittura veneta 11 min
Capodimonte museum: the works to look for, room by room
What to see at the Capodimonte museum in Naples: Caravaggio’s Flagellation, Bellini’s Transfiguration, the Farnese collection and the park, with hours.
Musei Pittura 11 min
Borromini’s perspective gallery at Palazzo Spada: nine metres that look like thirty-five
Borromini’s forced perspective at Palazzo Spada: how the optical trick works, how long the colonnade really is, how tall the statue is, hours and tickets.
Musei Arte barocca 8 min
Bernini at the Borghese Gallery: the works nobody looks at
Beyond the four famous sculptures, the Galleria Borghese holds a goat, two popes, a terracotta horse and three paintings by Bernini. Where to find them.
Musei Arte barocca 10 min
The two busts of Scipione Borghese: the crack that made Bernini start again
A crack ran across the cardinal’s forehead and Bernini carved a second bust in days. They now stand in the same room: here is how to tell them apart.
Musei Arte barocca 8 min
Truth Unveiled by Time: the statue Bernini carved for himself
Bernini carved it the year his St Peter’s bell tower was pulled down, and never sold it. The story, the Time that was never carved and how to see it.
Musei Arte barocca 9 min
Sick Bacchus and Boy with a Basket of Fruit: the two Caravaggios Scipione got through a seizure
The two early Caravaggios at the Galleria Borghese arrived through a 1607 seizure. The story, the self-portrait, the withered leaves and practical details.
Musei Pittura 9 min
David with the Head of Goliath: the painting Caravaggio used to beg for pardon
At the Galleria Borghese Caravaggio painted himself as the severed head of Goliath. The story, the sword inscription and the plea to Scipione Borghese.
Musei Pittura 9 min
Bargello Museum in Florence: 8 masterpieces to see and how to plan the visit
The museum of Florentine sculpture, from Donatello’s David to Michelangelo’s Bacchus: eight works to look for at the Bargello, with current hours and tickets.
Musei Rinascimento 13 min
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus: meaning, details and why the title is wrong
The painting is not a birth, the pose comes from a statue and the winds from an ancient gem: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus explained, at the Uffizi in Florence.
Opere d’arte Rinascimento 11 min
Accademia Gallery: Michelangelo’s David and what to see beyond the statue
Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence: the story of the rejected block, the Prisoners, updated prices and how to book your slot.
Musei Scultura 12 min
Botticelli’s Primavera: meaning, figures and the details to look for
Who the nine figures are, why the painting reads from right to left and what hides in the flowered meadow: Botticelli’s Primavera explained at the Uffizi.
Opere d’arte Rinascimento 11 min
Uffizi Gallery: 10 works to see and how to plan your visit
From Botticelli’s Primavera to Caravaggio’s Medusa: ten works to look for at the Uffizi, with the room numbers updated after the museum renumbered them.
Musei Rinascimento 14 min
Musée de l’Orangerie: Monet’s Water Lilies and the collection nobody expects
A guide to the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris: Monet’s two oval Water Lilies rooms, the Modiglianis, Renoirs, Picassos and Matisses, with hours and tickets.
Musei 15 min
Artworks in Paris: the 9 to really see, instead of the Mona Lisa from a distance
The artworks to see in Paris choosing the ones you can actually look at: stained glass, an enormous Veronese, free museums and the necropolis of kings.
Musei 15 min
Museums in Rome: the 8 not to miss, with the closing day and what to look for inside
The 8 museums in Rome not to miss, with one emblematic work each, the closing day, the price and the rule for the free first Sunday of the month.
Musei 15 min
National Roman Museum: 6 works to see and how the combined ticket works
The works to see at the National Roman Museum: the Boxer at Rest, Livia’s painted garden, the Discobolus Hitler bought, the Ludovisi Throne.
Musei 14 min
Doria Pamphilj Gallery: 6 works to see in the finest private collection in Rome
The works to see at the Doria Pamphilj Gallery: Velázquez’s Innocent X, Bernini’s bust, two Caravaggios, the Raphael and the Hall of Mirrors.
Musei 13 min
Palazzo Barberini: 7 artworks to see, from the two Caravaggios to La Fornarina
The artworks to see at Palazzo Barberini: two Caravaggios, Raphael’s Fornarina, the Beatrice Cenci, Pietro da Cortona’s ceiling and the two staircases.
Musei 14 min
Pergamon Museum closed: when it reopens and what to see instead in Berlin
Berlin’s Pergamon Museum is closed for renovation: when it reopens, what happens to the Ishtar Gate, and which Museum Island museums to see instead.
Musei 8 min
Leonardo’s Last Supper in Milan: how to visit the Cenacolo Vinciano
How to visit Leonardo’s Last Supper in Milan: compulsory booking, prices, opening times and what to actually look at during your fifteen minutes.
Opere d’arte 9 min
Reina Sofia Museum: 9 works to discover contemporary art in Madrid (updated 2026)
Picasso’s Guernica, Dalí’s Great Masturbator and seven more works at the Reina Sofía, with the story behind each one and practical tips for the visit.
20 min
Raphael’s School of Athens: all the secrets of this timeless masterpiece (updated 2026)
The School of Athens is a wonderful fresco hiding curiosities not everyone knows. Where to find it, the hidden faces and all its secrets.
Arte del Rinascimento Opere d’arte 9 min
How to skip the line at the Louvre and save time to visit Paris (updated 2026)
Discover how to skip the line at the Louvre museum in Paris and save time to visit the city and other top attractions. Are you ready?
9 min
5 beautiful museums in Lisbon that you absolutely must not miss (updated 2026)
The museums of Lisbon that are worth your time, with the works not to miss in each and a few tips for spending less on tickets.
Museums 12 min
Cupid and Psyche by Canova: the story, the myth and the secrets of a Neoclassical masterpiece (updated 2026)
Canova’s Cupid and Psyche (Eros and Psyche): the myth behind it, the two versions, the secrets of the marble and where to see it at the Louvre.
Piece of Art 9 min
Tour of the Vatican Museums in Rome: 9 masterpieces you absolutely must know (updated 2026)
Are you planning a tour of the Vatican Museums in Rome? Here are my visiting tips, the anecdotes and 9 masterpieces you can’t miss.
Musei 14 min
British Museum London: 13 works you absolutely must know (updated 2026)
The British Museum has a very ambitious goal: to gather the evidence of every civilisation in the world. My list of the works you can’t miss.
Musei 13 min
The MANN: 7 works of the Naples Archaeological Museum not to miss! (updated 2026)
The Naples Archaeological Museum is one of the finest in Italy. There are so many wonders to see at the MANN: here are the 7 works not to miss.
Arte greca Arte romana 15 min
Galleria Borghese Rome: 10 masterpieces you absolutely must see (updated 2026)
Apollo and Daphne, Bernini’s David and Rape of Proserpina, Canova’s Pauline and the Caravaggios: ten works to seek out at the Galleria Borghese.
Arte barocca Arte neoclassica 17 min
Petit Palais in Paris: the free fine arts museum for everyone (updated 2026)
The Petit Palais is one of the most underrated museums in the French capital, full of beautiful works and with free admission to the permanent collection.
Musei 6 min
5 museums in Cologne you can’t miss: from contemporary art to chocolate (updated 2026)
Museum Ludwig, the Roman-Germanic Museum, the Cathedral Treasury, the Chocolate Museum and the NS Documentation Centre: the five to pick in Cologne.
Arte contemporanea Guide di viaggi 11 min
5 things to see at the Roman Museum of Lyon that will leave you speechless (updated 2026)
Would you ever have thought that a Roman woman with a passion for history and art could discover the Romans in Lyon? Well, that is exactly what happened!
Arte romana Musei 9 min
Visiting the Capitoline Museums: 8 must-see works you should know (updated 2026)
The Capitoline She-Wolf, Marcus Aurelius on horseback, the Dying Gaul and Caravaggio’s Fortune Teller: eight works to find in the Capitoline Museums.
Arte barocca Arte romana 13 min
What to see at the Pinacoteca di Brera: 8 masterpieces explained for you (updated 2026)
Pinacoteca di Brera: the 8 works I loved most, hand-picked to help you discover the finest masterpieces of this Milan museum.
Arte del Rinascimento Musei 11 min
Piero della Francesca’s Sacred Conversation: a timeless masterpiece (updated 2026)
Piero della Francesca’s Sacred Conversation (the Brera Altarpiece) is a painting dense with symbolic meaning: I explain them one by one in this post!
Opere d’arte 7 min
Gemäldegalerie in Berlin: the 10 works you shouldn’t miss (updated 2026)
Gemäldegalerie in Berlin: I show you 10 incredible masterpieces that will take your breath away. Come and discover them!
Musei 12 min
Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome: great masterpieces and a dark past (updated 2026)
Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome holds masterpieces by Caravaggio, Raphael, Bernini and Carracci. Its dark history, the works to see and my tips.
Opere d’arte 9 min
5 works I loved most at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon (updated 2026)
The Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, among the largest in France: the Greek Kore, Tintoretto’s Danaë, Géricault and Braque’s violin.
Musei 10 min
The Farnesina Collection: the contemporary art hidden inside Italy’s Foreign Ministry (updated 2026)
Inside Italy’s Foreign Ministry, Palazzo della Farnesina, is a major collection of Italian contemporary art: the story, the works and how to visit for free.
Opere d’arte 5 min
Cartier jewels: why they are true works of art (updated 2026)
Cartier jewels are true works of art: the story of the maison, the most iconic pieces from the Maharaja of Patiala to Liz Taylor, and where to see them today.
Opere d’arte 5 min