I always love going to a museum, especially if it's built around one artist, but, visiting an artist's home and see where they created their masterpieces is a much more rewarding experience. Italy has had many amazing painters and, luckily, many of their homes and studios can still be visited today.
In this list, I included my personal favourites. I like these homes the most because they not only let you witness the artists' upbringings, but they also allow you to understand how people lived at that time.
Here are the best painter's home to visit in Italy:
1 - Raphael's Home Museum in Urbino
Raffaello Sanzio is one of Italy's best artists, his works have travelled all over the world. He was born in Urbino in 1483 in this house and this is also where his passion for painting began. His training started in his father's school, at the court of the Montefeltro family. In addition to seeing the house where he was born and raised, you will also see Raffaello's works and many testimonies of his life.
There is also a virtual tour available on the official website.
2 - Giorgio Morandi's Home Museum in Bologna
Morandi was an Italian painter and engraver, particularly famous for his still life paintings. He was born in 1890 in Bologna, where he lived and painted for most of his life. Morandi lived here with his sisters until his death in 1964 and he always painted in his small room. The relationship with his family and his artistic training are illustrated through books, documents and photographies. You can also visit his summer home in Grizzana Morandi, in the bolognese hills, where he built his first studio.
3 - Amedeo Modigliani's Home in Livorno
Modigliani, a painter and a sculptor, was born in this exact home in Livorno. He was born on a black marble table in the kitchen. His mother had organized a private school in this house. It soon came to be the most prestigious school of the area, attended by the descendants of the most important noble families. Amedeo's life in Livorno was recreated with care, it is impossible not to imagine him living in these halls.
4 - Titian's Home in Pieve di Cadore
Tiziano Vecellio was born here in Veneto in 1490. This was his father's home, where he moved after his mother died. He showed his talent very early and, at the age of 10, Tiziano was sent to Venice to study. He lived in Pieve di Cadore for a short time but his time here was very important for his personal development. There are no original works in the museum but the home was reconstructed in a perfect XVI century style.
5 - Giorgio de Chirico's Home Museum in Rome
de Chirico was born in Greece in 1888 in an Italian family. He spent his formative years there but when his father died, his mother decided to move to Munich and then to Florence. He bought this apartment in Piazza di Spagna in 1947, after spending some years between Europe and New York. de Chirico lived here with his wife Isa for thirty years, until his death in 1978. In the museum there are many of his works, but the most interesting things to see are his studio and his bedroom.
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