The extensive complex that is home to the Brera Academies and Art Gallery also encompasses two very unusual institutions: the Botanic Garden (Orto Botanico) and the Astronomical Museum (Museo Astronomico). The garden, ancient and very well-concealed, allows visitors to discover plants and flowers that are unusual for the city of Milan, all within an unexpected oasis of peace and quiet. The Astronomical Museum contains the time-honoured instruments that were used to scan the heavens from the Observatory, which was located in the Palazzo di Brera.
