The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera or Brera Fine Arts Academy, better known as the Accademia di Brera, is a state-run university situated in the Palazzo di Brera.
It is one of the oldest such schools in Italy, a living emblem of the history and the artists that have forged Italian art, making their mark on our country’s history and contributing to interaction between science, literature and the arts since 1776. The school continues today to play a leading role in the world of cultural creativity with unflagging enthusiasm.
Istituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere
Napoleon founded the Istituto Lombardo in 1797, modelling it on the Institut de France, for the purpose of collecting and cataloguing discoveries and of perfecting the arts and sciences.
Istituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere, Milano
When Napoleon fell, the Istituto was initially taken over by the Austrian government and later (in 1859) by the Italian government. Its president in 1859 was Alessandro Manzoni. The Istituto, which has worked without a break since it was founded, is now managed independently under the auspices of the Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo.
Orto botanico di Brera, Milano
Da sinistra, Osservatorio Astronomico e Museo Astronomico, Milano
Museo astronomico – Orto botanico di Brera
The Orto Botanico di Brera or Brera Botanical Garden, created under Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in 1774, offers visitors a small haven of peace in the heart of the bustling city.
It hosts rwo of the oldest examples of the ginko biloba tree in Europe, a 40-metre lime tree and a Caucasian walnut tree.
The fascinating seat of the Museo Astronomico, or Astronomical Museum, houses a collection of old scientific instruments belonging to the Osservatorio Astronomico.
The museum is now part of the Università degli Studi di Milano.
Osservatorio astronomico
The Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (OAB), or Brera Astronomical Observatory, is a research institute of international standing and Milan’s oldest scientific institution.
It became one of the Italian Republic’s official scientific institutions in 1946 and joined the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) in 2001.
The observatory has been housed in Palazzo di Brera since 1762, when Father Lagrange first promoted professional astronomical observation and research in Milan.
Amici di Brera
One of the oldest associations in Milan, the Amici di Brera or Friends of Brera have focused from the outset on promoting the conservation and enhancement of the historic Palazzo di Brera, with the museums and research institutes it hosts, and of Milan’s other civic museums, organising conferences, lectures, tours and trips in Milan, in Italy and abroad, as well as running educational activities and refresher courses. They support the institutions through direct sponsorship, fundraising campaigns and donations.
