Italian museums to visit comfortably from home

Italian museums, like any other place where people could gather, are closed due to the health emergency. Going physically to museums, however, is not the only way to admire the magnificent collections in the main Italian museums. The most important ones, in fact, offer users the possibility to enjoy virtual tours. Below is a small list of Italian museums that have this feature available on their official websites.

The Vatican Museums are a whole of museums and collections housed in the visitable portion of Palazzi Vaticani. The set of museums is one of the oldest existing and one of the most visited in the world. 

Origin of the Vatican Museums dates back to the 16th century, when Pope Julius II (born Giuliano della Rovere) formed the first State Collection of classical sculptures, at that time located in the Octagonal Courtyard. 

The Vatican Museums currently occupy a large part of the wide Belvedere's courtyard and are one of the largest art collections in the world, since they display the enormous collection accumulated over the centuries by the popes: the Sistine Chapel and the papal apartments frescoed by Michelangelo and Raphael are part of the works visitors admiring on their way.

The Gallery entirely occupies the first and second floors of the large building constructed between 1560 and 1580 and designed by Giorgio Vasari. It is famous worldwide for its outstanding collections of ancient sculptures and paintings (from the Middle Ages to the Modern period). The collections of paintings from the 14th-century and Renaissance period include some absolute masterpieces: Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo and Caravaggio, in addition to many precious works by European painters (mainly German, Dutch and Flemish). 

Moreover, the Gallery boasts an invaluable collection of ancient statues and busts from the Medici family, which adorns the corridors and consists of ancient Roman copies of lost Greek sculptures.

When it was founded (1824), the Museo Egizio was housed in the building called the Collegio dei Nobili. Already in 1832, however, the Museum was opened to the public. Between 1903 and 1937, the archaeological excavations conducted in Egypt by Ernesto Schiaparelli and then by Giulio Farina brought some 30,000 artefacts to Turin. The Museum underwent a first reorganisation of the rooms in 1908, and a second, more important one, in 1924, with the official visit by the king. 

Particularly important was the reconstruction of the rock temple from Ellesiya, donated by the Egyptian government in recognition of Italy’s aid in rescuing the Nubian temples. Starting from the 1980s, partly as a result of increasing numbers of visitors, it became necessary to plan a new itinerary for visitors that led to the installation of new exhibition spaces. 

The Museo Egizio is world’s the oldest museum devoted entirely to ancient Egyptian culture.

The Brera Gallery is a national gallery of ancient and modern art, located in the palace of the same name, one of the largest complexes in Milan.  

The Brera Gallery was officially established in 1809 alongside the Accademia di Belle Arti, requested by Mary Therese of Austria. 

When Milan became the capital of the Italic Reign, Brera become a museum to host the most important works of art from all of the areas conquered by the French armies. 

The museum exhibits one of the most famous painting collections in Italy, specializing in Venetian and Lombard painting, with important pieces from other schools. Moreover, thanks to donations, it offers an exhibition itinerary that ranges from prehistory to contemporary art, with masterpieces by 20th century artists.