Museo Poldi Pezzoli Restores Golden Hall After 50 Years
After more than fifty years, the Salone dorato at Milan's Museo Poldi Pezzoli has been restored and reopened. This room, featuring a gilded ceiling created by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli in the 1870s, was damaged during bombings in 1943. Fernanda Wittgens was instrumental in its restoration, which led to the 1951 reinstallation of 90 Renaissance panels from Cremona. A dropped ceiling in 1974 had previously hidden the original design. The recent restoration, designed by Alessandra Quarto and Piero Guicciardini, was funded by World Monuments Fund Italia and began with a video inspection in January 2025, followed by a three-month campaign in summer 2026. Admission will be free on September 19, with guided tours commencing on September 24.
Key facts
- The Salone dorato of the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan has been restored and reopened after being hidden for over 50 years.
- The room was destroyed in the 1943 bombings and rebuilt under Fernanda Wittgens, with a reinstallation presented in 1951.
- In 1974, a dropped ceiling covered the wooden structure, lowering the room's height by more than one meter.
- The restoration was funded and promoted by World Monuments Fund Italia, with a project by Alessandra Quarto and Piero Guicciardini.
- Work began with a video inspection in January 2025 and concluded with a three-month restoration campaign in summer 2026.
- The intervention restored the room's original height and spatiality, and returned 90 Renaissance panels from the Cremona area to the ceiling.
- A giant 18th-century Venetian mirror was restored in view of visitors.
- Free admission on Saturday, September 19, from 10 AM to 6 PM, and guided lunchtime tours every Thursday starting September 24.
Entities
Artists
- Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli
- Fernanda Wittgens
- Alessandra Quarto
- Piero Guicciardini
- James A. Gray
- Fiorella Ballabio
- Vittoria Caprotti
Institutions
- Museo Poldi Pezzoli
- World Monuments Fund
- World Monuments Fund Italia
- Christofle
- Artribune
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- Pisa
- Florence
- Cremona
- Europe
- Americas
- Asia