The Legacy of Antonio Boschi and Marieda Di Stefano

Antonio Boschi and Marieda Di Stefano began married life in 1927 and soon made collecting part of their daily routine. Antonio was an engineer at Pirelli, where his patents included the GIUBO elastic joint, while Marieda was a ceramicist whose school later operated in the same Via Jan building. Their resources, taste, and direct relationships with living artists allowed them to assemble more than 2,000 paintings, sculptures, and drawings.

The couple donated the collection to the Municipality of Milan in 1974, and the apartment opened to the public as Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano on February 5, 2003. That history matters when you visit: this is not a neutral white-cube gallery, but a civic gift shaped by private choices. The rooms still communicate the couple's belief that modern art belonged in everyday life, beside furniture, books, music, and conversation.

For deeper background before or after your visit, the Official Foundation Website gives useful context on the collectors, the donation, and the foundation's role in furnishing the house-museum.

Architecture of the Via Jan Building by Piero Portaluppi

The museum sits inside a residential building constructed in the early 1930s by Piero Portaluppi, one of Milan's defining modern architects. The exterior and common spaces show the restrained geometry, careful materials, and urban confidence associated with interwar Milanese design. Arrive a few minutes early so you are not just hurrying through the entrance: the building itself is part of the experience.

The apartment is reached from the building's internal circulation rather than through a grand museum lobby, which reinforces the house-museum character. Portaluppi's architecture gives the collection a precise Milanese frame, balancing domestic scale with the city's modernist ambitions. If you are also visiting Villa Necchi Campiglio, the comparison is especially useful because both sites reveal different sides of elite Milanese living and design.

Highlights of the 20th-Century Italian Art Collection

The house displays approximately 300 selected works across eleven exhibition spaces, drawn from a total collection of more than 2,000 pieces. The route is arranged in chronological succession and qualitative selection by Maria Teresa Fiorio, so it works best if you follow the rooms in order instead of jumping straight to famous names. The collection traces Italian art from the first decade of the 1900s through the late 1960s, with paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and drawings appearing in close quarters.

The rest of the collection is not simply hidden away. Other Boschi Di Stefano works are displayed at the Museo del Novecento, and the Museum of the Twentieth Century is the natural companion visit if you want a broader view of Italian modernism. Pairing the two museums helps you see both sides of the gift: the intimate home and the civic museum context.

Period Furnishings and the Mario Sironi Dining Room

The furnishings are not background decoration. They explain how the apartment was reconstructed as a believable house-museum after conservation needs made it impossible to preserve every original domestic arrangement. Look for the small table designed by Portaluppi, the Bechstein piano, and carefully chosen period pieces that match the era and the art.

The most important furniture highlight is the dining room designed by Mario Sironi in 1936 and presented at the VI Triennale di Milano. It is a useful pause point because it joins three strands of the visit: the artist on the wall, the design object in the room, and the social world of the collectors. Do not treat the furniture as a quick pass-through; it is one of the clearest ways to understand the apartment as an inhabited collection.

Essential Visitor Info: Hours, Tickets, and Booking

Planning your visit is easy because the museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday each week. Visitors can enter the house between 10:00 am and 5:30 pm throughout the year, with last entry around 5:00 pm. Admission is completely free. Booking through the Vivaticket Booking Link is recommended, but not mandatory, for individual visitors.

Do not make the common mistake of arriving just before closing. The apartment is compact, but the collection is dense; allow 45 to 75 minutes if you want to follow the chronological route properly. Weekday mornings are the best time to visit if you want quieter rooms, while late afternoon works well if you are combining the museum with Corso Buenos Aires or Porta Venezia.

Group visits need more planning because the apartment has limited space. Groups of up to 20 people can access the museum, while larger groups are asked to divide along the exhibition path. The museum also closes on some public holidays, including 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December, so check the official calendar before locking in a 2026 Milan itinerary.

Transportation Guide: Reaching Via Giorgio Jan 15

The museum is in a residential street just off the Corso Buenos Aires area, so public transport is usually easier than driving. The simplest route is the M1 red line to Lima, then a short walk to Via Giorgio Jan 15. Loreto on the M2 green line is also workable if it better fits your route across the city.

• Metro M1: Lima station, about 260 meters on foot.
• Metro M2: Loreto station, about 800 meters on foot.
• Tram: Lines 1 and 5 to Via Vitruvio, about 650 meters on foot.
• Bus: Lines 60 and 81 to Via Plinio/Piazza Bacone, about 190 meters on foot; line 92 also serves Piazza Bacone.
• Suburban rail: Porta Venezia station, about 550 meters on foot.

Driving is rarely the best choice unless you need accessible parking. Street parking is limited and local traffic rules can be confusing for visitors. If you do arrive by car with a valid disability parking permit, YesMilano notes reserved spaces on Via Ulisse Aldrovandi and free use of blue-marked spaces in the surrounding streets for badge holders.

Accessibility Services and On-Site Facilities

The museum has detailed accessibility information in the YesMilano Accessibility Guide, and it is worth reading before you go if lift dimensions or restroom access matter for your visit. The exhibition route itself has no steps or architectural barriers, and the rooms provide enough space for wheelchair users, but reaching the route involves staff-assisted lift access in a historic building.

• Wheelchairs: A courtesy wheelchair is available; a valid ID such as an identity card or driving licence must be left as a deposit.
• Lift access: A platform lift connects the ground floor to the mezzanine, and a lift connects onward to the exhibition level; both are staff-assisted and have limited dimensions.
• Audio: Free Italian and English audio tracks are available through QR codes placed along the route.
• Easy-to-read guide: Available in print and as a downloadable PDF.
• Restrooms: An accessible restroom is on the mezzanine level; the first-floor museum-route bathroom is not wheelchair accessible.

Staff are present throughout the route and can help with practical questions. If you use a wheelchair or have limited mobility, use the intercom at the entrance and allow extra time at arrival rather than planning a tight connection after the museum.

Beyond the House: The Circuito Case Museo Network

Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano belongs to the Circuito Case Museo, the Milan network of historic house museums. Visit it with Villa Necchi Campiglio if you want a design-focused half day, or add the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi for a sharper contrast between Renaissance revival collecting and 20th-century modernism.

Art lovers can extend the route with the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana for older masterpieces or the San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore church for frescoes. The important planning point is time: Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano is free and compact, but it is most rewarding when treated as a focused visit rather than a filler stop between shopping and dinner.