Poldi Pezzoli Museum Launches Lunch Break Visits for Wellbeing

The Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan, under new director Alessandra Quarto, has reopened its doors with a focus on visitor wellbeing. Quarto, appointed in 2023, believes culture acts as a therapy against depression and stress. After years of reduced hours and a perceived distance from the public, the museum now prioritizes listening to visitors' needs, especially the desire for relaxation and beauty. The museum's new winter garden, the Orangerie, opened in May, offers a free space with sofas and art catalogs for breaks. A key initiative is a weekly guided tour during lunch breaks, launched on March 6, after a three-year closure during that time. Tours run from 1:15 PM to 1:45 PM with reduced entry and free guiding, limited to 25 people, and have consistently sold out. The first autumn session started on September 28, with plans to continue next year. Each tour focuses on a single masterpiece, such as works from Lombard Renaissance in newly renovated rooms. Quarto drew inspiration from Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon studies on art's benefits. Previously at the Pinacoteca di Brera, she initiated the 'Brera in Humanitas' project at Rozzano's Humanitas hospital, where reproductions of artworks, including Hayez's 'The Kiss' and Raphael's 'The Marriage of the Virgin,' were placed in chemotherapy wards to inspire hope.