Inaugurated on 8 March 1913 in the former Casino Ricordi building adjacent to La Scala, the museum houses antiques, mementos and musical instruments that belonged to composers, actors and men of the theatre. It includes an exceptionally important collection of portraits of musicians, and was recently renovated by Pier Luigi Pizzi, who also devised the new museum itinerary. A visit to the museum includes entry to the elegant foyer, embellished with busts of composers and conductors, and also access to a box, allowing you to admire the spectacular Piermarini room (on condition that rehearsals or performances are not taking place). Attached to the museum is the Livia Simoni Library, which specialises in the history of musical theatre. In 1913, the Museum already had a library with 10,000 books on music. This collection was enriched in 1954 with the bequest of Renato Simoni, who donated 54,000 books in memory of his mother Livia. This was followed by the gifts from Ruggeri and Fraccaroli, who helped bring the total to today’s 500,000 volumes – one of the largest in the world in terms of music books. This is truly a hidden jewel of the city of Milan.
