So beautiful! The stairs are steep but worth it! There is an elevator you can pay to take if…read moreneeded, but the views were amazing the whole way down so I think walking was the best option.

As far as local history museums go, this is one of the best anywhere. It helps that the subject…read morematter is so iconic. The museum focuses on the scaling of the Matterhorn, and how the town culture developed around Alpine climbing. You'll find all sorts of artifacts like the original ropes and ice axes used to climb the matterhorn. The museum has three levels. The first is the main entrance, ticket booth, and gift shop. There are lockers to leave bags and hangars for jackets. The second level is below the street and is a metal grate walkway with historical items. The deepest and final level has the largest selection of artifacts and information. An audio guide is available in many languages but you'll need to download an app. Staff is minimal but does speak English.

Located in the center of Zermatt, Switzerland under it's namesake the glass dome Matterhorn…read moremuseum. Entry fee CHF 10, but was part of our 10 day Collette tour of Alpine Trains and Scenic Lakes. Severe space restrictions, with most of the museum underground. Three stories, with only the top story above ground. The bottom two floors have a constructed replica of a 19th century Swiss village, with stuffed farm animals, and furnishings from the period. You walk down the main street of Zermatt, only from 200 years ago. Film depicts life back in the older days, and the equipment used to climb the Matterhorn. Model of the mountain, where you may press a button next to the first successful hike to the top by that particular pathway, and see the lighted guided path alongside the mountain. The earliest hikes from the 1860s were on the more gradual inclines, whereas the latest hikes were on the very steep cliff faces. Today about 3000 people successfully climb the mountain annually, as it is described as a moderate climb, but exposed to the elements. About 150 people try to climb the mountain daily, which takes 9-12 hours. The last third is through snow and ice, requiring crampons. Only a handful of those 150 will make it to the top and back. About a handful die each year, with some 500 people killed in attempting the climb throughout the ages. There is even a cemetery for those killed on the mountain. A much more formidable mountain to climb is France's Mt Blanc, tallest mountain in Europe, with some 8,000 climbers killed! There are guides who for about 1300 Euros will take you to the top of Matterhorn, to have your selfie picture taken!

A great museum that is perfect to do with children or by yourself. Audio tour available in multiple…read morelanguages. Kids interactive area. Many hands on exhibits. Covers the works of da Vinci with displays, touch screens and models. Really nicely done.

The DaVinci Museum is a must in Milan. Seeing his brilliance come to life in this exhibition of his…read moreinventions, many interactive, is an excellent representation of why he is remembered as an engineering genius as well as a painter. 45

This is a museum/school. It was a bit hard finding the museum, but pretty amazing once you find…read moreit. Tons of religious paintings that are larger than life and I mean large! Couldn't believe the size of some of these. It is strange that the exit is the entrance, so you will have to walk ALL the way back. Still, an amazing place and check out my pictures!

This museum is a must see when in Milan. It is so wonderful that I would even recommend a trip to…read moreMilan just to see it. The art is mostly religious but the setting is what makes it special. The wall color is different in each room and the scale of the art is unlike anything I have ever seen in either the Uffizi, Prado, the Louve or the Met. Paintings the size of Times Square billboards cover walls of intense blues, teals and magenta. We had the good fortune of seeing a spectacular exhibit featuring the work of Giorgio Armani whose elaborate creations were on display in almost every room. The building itself was a marvel. Timed tickets are a must.

Sono andato al Museo del Violino a Cremona senza sapere praticamente niente di violini, pensavo…read morefosse una cosa per esperti. Invece mi ha sorpreso tantissimo: è moderno, con schermi touch e audio che ti spiegano tutto in modo semplice, e vedere da vicino gli Stradivari originali è davvero impressionante, sembrano opere d'arte perfette. L'auditorium è bellissimo e ho avuto la fortuna di sentire un violino storico suonato dal vivo: un suono incredibile! Consigliatissimo anche a chi come me non è un musicista, vale ogni euro del biglietto.

We visited this museum in 2015 and have wanted to come back ever since. It really is a great,…read moremodern museum which has excellent displays of violins, violas, and other string instruments. The museum is absolutely stunning! It takes you through Cremona's five-century history of violin making by introducing you to the great masters and their violins, violas and cellos. Step-by-step, the museum describes everything that rotates around the life of the violin. You begin with how it all started; then, moves on to the luthier's workshop, where you can smell the scent of resin and wood. There is an onion shaped room for listening (which was closed on this visit). In the next room, the virtual books speak of Cremona's school of classical music and on a map of Cremona from the Stradivari era you can see the distribution of the shops. Perhaps the best part of the museum is their "Treasure Room," a room entered through heavy tapestry with lighting focused to highlight the superb violins on display. There were several made by Antonio Stradivari and by "del Gesù," among others. Both men lived in Cremona in the early part of the 1700's and knew each other. Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri ("del Gesù") was an Italian luthier (violin maker) from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and for many prominent players and collectors his instruments are the most coveted of all. (Think $2-4 million for a Stradivari and $8-10 million for a "del Gesù."). At the end of your visit, you get to see the Permanent Collection of Contemporary Violin Making. The collection also explores how the modern world has joined the world of the violin with the promotion of the friends of Stradivari network. The last room is dedicated to the violin's role in films. This museum should not be missed. It is truly a treasure. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Take a cruise or a ferry to explore Lake Como…read more We booked a day trip from Milan to Lake Como with Ciao Florence. The public ferry was an interesting experience. Our family was able to find a place to stand on the top deck and eventually find seats. Our tour guide and group were scattered all over the ferry which made it a bit disorganized. The ferry itself was amazing. The views were magical on a wonderful sunny Friday. When our guide finally located most of the group that had migrated to the top floor, he gave us a bit of insight into Villa Carlotta. The history is one with many families involved. Originally built on ancestral land by the Clerici family who became successful silk merchants. The country estate and gardens were built in the 1690s. As with many wealthy families, the great grandson spent too much money building an extravagant palazzo, the Palazzo Clerici in Milan, which forced his heirs to see their Lake Como villa sold to cover their debts. Over the next couple of hundred years, the property continued to exchange hands until it was eventually was converted to a museum and gardens by royal decree. Nice to be able to see it from the ferry. Maybe next time, we will have more time to explore the villa and its gardens.

What an amazing place! It's a museum and a garden, the bottom floor is a cool interactive museum.read more

This place is ridiculous after COVID. For being the big museum in Turin they only do a limited…read morenumber of online tickets. No ticket office and quickly sells out on weekends. Be careful or you might not be able to visit. Book ahead if this is something you must see (personally wasn't too excited about looking at stolen artifacts from Egypt in Italy)

Great Museum and not too Touristy…read more Alright, so this is actually the only thing I did in Torino. The museum is excellent and actually pretty cheap to get into. There's tonnes of exhibits and interesting displays. I wouldn't have expected that out of an Italian Egyptian museum. I also love that it wasn't too touristy and that it was pretty chilled and relaxed. I had a great time. If my feet weren't hurting, I would have stayed way longer.

It was...ok. I think Yelp's classification here is on the money. For context, I have a PhD in…read moretheatre and film, so I was really looking forward to getting to this museum while in town for a conference. It hit the mark on many fronts, but it was disappointing in other ways. First, the signage for which line is which is not intuitive. If you want to go up the observation lift, there's a different line than if you just want to go to the museum. Again, the signs of where to go next are vague, and the museum staff don't necessarily wear a uniform, so be prepared for virtually anyone to ask for your ticket. Second, there's a one-way path through the museum, and once you've gone through, they will not allow you back through. There's a beautiful area to sit and watch films during your visit, but it seems counterintuitive to go to that area quite early in your visit. There are no signs indicating you won't be allowed back to enjoy previous exhibits. That's a user design issue that really marred my impression. Now for the good things. The museum has an excellent virtual film area that I recommend. It's obviously a nascent area of film and digital media, but this was very worth the time. The early film exhibits are world class. That alone is worth the price of admission. I wish I could take every film class to this museum! It is simply outstanding. To summarize, some wonderful exhibits sandwiched in with meh exhibits (I could skip the two levels of film posters), and some hit or miss service. Still worth a visit, just be aware of its inconsistencies.

I'm a movie lover and this is one of the best museums I've ever been to. We literally spent the…read moreentire day here and still needed more time! This is a sprawling, multi-storied (5 levels comprising of 5,000 square feet), treasure trove of Italian movie history that I highly recommend to any film buff! For just €11 admission, this place is a bargain. The museum starts with an incredible exhibit on the archaeology of cinema. Here's where you'll find a jaw-dropping collection of magic lanterns, optical boxes, phenakistiscope disks, and original 18th century "Peepshow" boxes. There's a crazy amount of photographs and videos that cover all things movie history. The top level has a cool movie poster gallery. Do NOT miss this if you are a fan of film art! There are different areas and eras that are covered from indie cinema to experimental cinema to trash films to spaghetti westerns to giallo horror to neorealism to modern-day classics and more. Props from popular films, stop-motion demonstrations, and a fun atrium where you can lie down on sofas and watch film clips. Of course it's Italy-centric, but there are items from American films too. Your ticket also includes a special exhibit. When I visited, it was an audio exhibit on film music throughout the ages (and it was awesome)! We needed every second here, but we are huge film fans. There's a small cafeteria on the first floor for light snacks. The museum is so huge that even with large crowds, it never feels crowded. I noticed some of the employees were gruff and impatient with visitors, especially if you didn't speak fluent Italian. We also saw some employees yelling at the large groups of Italian schoolchildren. The biggest letdown here is the gift shop. It's okay, but is mostly filled with replica posters and boring knick-knacks that you can buy anywhere, even in the U.S. Note that the museum is CLOSED on Tuesdays!

Came here at the recommendation of a friend living in Zurich. Such a wonderful experience. The…read moresmall island is a short boat ride from Locarno (also a short boat ride from Ascona). Entrance fee was small (about 8CHF). But wow, what a view! And the flowers! Heavenly. The smell of Jasmine was everywhere. Loved the flowers from around the globe, the Roman "bath" and the Bamboo garden. Very easy to spend an entire day here. A must visit, especially if you like nature, flowers, spectacular views, and the outdoors.