Tuscanyit is one of the most visited regions in Italy, thanks to a considerable cultural heritage that enriches the larger cities, from Siena to Florence, but which also offers treasures in the smaller municipalities: San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Pienza and many others.
If you are planning a trip to these parts this summer, here are five must see museums in Tuscany.
If you also want to discover all the other museums, exhibitions and events in Tuscany, go to Artsupp. com
Table of Contents
- Santa Maria della Scala in Siena
- Museo Civico di Siena
- Palazzo Borgia and the Museo Diocesano di Pienza
- Palazzo Comunale e Torre Grossa San Gimignano
- Museo Civico e Pinacoteca Crociani di Montepulciano
Santa Maria della Scala in Siena
Santa Maria della Scala is an historical musueum complex in Siena. It is one of the most important museum and cultural centers in the city and hosts a series of collections ranging from antiquity to the modern era.
The nickname “della Scala” dates back to the 12th century and recalls the particular location in front of the steps of the main church. According to legend, however, the hospital was founded following the vision of the mother of the Blessed Sorore, in which a miraculous staircase welcomed the orphans into paradise.
Museo Civico di Siena
The Museo Civico di Siena it is located on the first floor of the Palazzo Pubblico.
The exhibition itinerary of the Civic Museum begins with a large picture gallery and then continues with the Risorgimento room, on whose walls stands a monumental cycle of frescoes with episodes from the life of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first sovereign of united Italy.
Palazzo Borgia and the Museo Diocesano di Pienza
The Museo Diocesano di Pienza is located in the Palazzo Vescovile or Palazzo Borgia.
Born from the nucleus of the already very rich Cathedral Museum, integrated with numerous works of art from other churches in the area, collecting testimonies from Pienza’s area and neighboring municipalities.
The collection includes antiques from thefourteenth-century Sienese figurative art. Particularly significant is the collection of goldsmith objects dating from the 13th to the 19th century, among which the liturgical furnishings donated by Pius II to the cathedral stand out.
Palazzo Comunale e Torre Grossa San Gimignano
The Palazzo Comunale in San Gimignano host the “historic” seat of the Civic Museums.
The museum itinerary allows you to admire famous cycles of frescoes which manage to convey to the visitor that civic sense which had its seat of choice in the podestà palace.
From the Pinacoteca is also possible to visit the Torre Grossa from which you can enjoy a breathtaking view.
Museo Civico e Pinacoteca Crociani di Montepulciano
The Museo Civico in Montepulciano is located inside Palazzo Neri Orselli, a splendid fourteenth-century building. The collection mainly includes artworks from the 17th and 18th centuries from the Florentine and Bolognese environments, as well as paintings by painters from the Netherlands. Paintings of history and sacred and profane figures, portraits, landscapes, genre scenes and still lifes belong to this sort of “gallery”.
In the museum itinerary, therefore, works by artists of the Sienese, Florentine, Roman, Emilian and Flemish schools stand out.
If you are also interested in all the other must see museums and exhibitions in 2023 throughout Italy, from Rome, Venice, Turin to Milan, we recommend our insights:
Venice: exhibitions to see in 2023
Exhibitions in Milan 2023: the five must-see