Museo popoli e culture
Ethnographic museum of the PIME missionaries in Milan, founded in 1910, with collections from Asia, Oceania and other cultures of the world.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museo Popoli e Culture was founded in 1910 by the PIME missionaries and is devoted to knowledge of the world’s cultures, with the aim of being a place of dialogue and reflection where many voices and points of view intertwine. The first collections were brought to Italy by Father Carlo Salerio, who left in 1852 for Papua New Guinea on the PIME’s first mission, but only a few pieces of that collection survived, as almost all were destroyed in the aerial bombings of Milan in 1943.
Archive photographs show a museum full of unusual objects and stuffed animals, designed to astonish visitors with the exotic atmosphere once attributed to distant lands. The museum later went through a long process of change in its displays and educational aims, until in 1994 it took its present name, placing people and relationships at the centre.
The display includes multimedia stations and arranges the collections by thematic strands: animism in Southeast Asia, daily life, rites and ceremonies, ornaments, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity in Asia, textiles, Chinese art and Taoism. The educational offer is aimed at schools, groups, families and individual visitors.
Highlights
- Thematic collections on Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and animism
- Sections on textiles, ornaments and Chinese art
- Cast of the Nestorian Stele
- Multimedia stations and audio route in Italian
- Accessible routes and guide in easy-to-read language
Permanent exhibition
- Collezioni permanenti per culture del mondo – Thematic route through animism, daily life, rites, ornaments, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity in Asia, textiles, Chinese art and Taoism.
- Founded
- 1910
- Operated by
- PIME – Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere
- Visitors per year
- approx. 9,433
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3people over 65, young people up to 14 and holders of Artsupp cards |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 5 · Free under 6 years of age; reduced up to 14 years. |
| Seniors | €3Reduced from 65 years of age. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and one companion. |
Free admission also for journalists with a press card, ICOM members, tourist guides with an ID card and holders of the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia. Digital gift card available for purchase online.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
The museum is wheelchair-accessible from two entrances: from via Mosè Bianchi 94 with a stairlift (to be requested from staff), and from via Monte Rosa 81 with an external platform (inside 1.12 × 1.40 m, door width 0.90 m; ring the bell). Two accessible toilets on the museum floor (one in the café). Internal car park with spaces reserved for holders of a disabled parking permit. Fixed seating and mobile stools; audio route with transcript; guide in easy-to-read and easy-to-understand language. The museum recommends contacting it to find out the least crowded times.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Summer workshops and creative workshops for children; offers for families, schools and groups.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Lotto (MM1/MM5)
Metro lines MM1 and MM5, stop Lotto; trolleybuses 90 and 91.
By car
Parking available
Internal car park accessed from via Mosè Bianchi 94, with spaces reserved for cars displaying a disabled parking permit.
- Accessible parking
Amenities & dining
- Café
- Coat check
- Lockers
Free cloakroom with lockers for bags and backpacks larger than 35 × 30 × 10 cm; helmets, backpacks and large bags are not allowed. Café on the museum floor.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
Offers for companies and private individuals: team building, personalised guided tours and concerts in the museum (museo@pimemilano.com).
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (IT) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Italian audio route accessible with the QR code at the entrance (preferably with your own headphones). Offers for schools, parishes and groups; accessible routes for people with cognitive disabilities. |
