ALFA MUSEUM ARESE MILAN - OPEN ?

[lombardi]

Will be in Italy at the end of the month and of course on the agenda is a visit to the museum, having searched google the info is very mixed,mostly that it is closed indefinitely,some of our brothers in the uk have managed to enter the museum by special arrangement,just wondering if anyone on this forum has had any experience lately on entry to the museo, any info would be greatly apreciated.Thank u

[kartone]

Look saintly, wear a robe, a few crucifixes and ask to bless the cars for safekeeping !!!   

[1750GTV]

As far as i know it's open for business.
I was there in October 2012 and had no trouble getting in. Took the train from Milano Centrale to Rho and caught a taxi to the museum from the train station.
The museum has been a source of rumours for years now - closed, selling off the collection, moving it all to Turin etc. etc.
Chris

[lombardi]

Thank u chris.

[Craig C]

As far as i know it's open for business.
I was there in October 2012 and had no trouble getting in.

It wasn't open in July 2012 so it looks like your timing was very good. Do you have any more photos to post?  Was it refurbished for the public or have they just opened the doors again? One of the rumours was that it was closed because the roof was leaking putting the contents at risk.

[John Hanslow]

Greg Briggs was in Europe a few months ago and said it was closed. 

The word on the street was that it would never reopen.

[1750GTV]

I was in Europe from early August till late October and in Italy early September and again mid October. I contacted the Museum in September (phone and email) and arranged a day in October to visit. It didn't seem to be a problem except for the mandatory 2 hour lunch break when everyone is asked to leave. I took about 250 photos while I was there.

These are the contact details -

Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo
Museo Centro Direzionale
viale Alfa Romeo
20020 ARESE (MI)

Tel: +39-02-44429322
Fax: +39-02-9315564
Email: museostorico@alfaromeo.com

The Museum has been open and closed on and off for refurbishment, change of display etc. many times over the years and it's best to check directly with them prior to arriving at the gate so you don't get turned away by the guard. It also helps to be fluent in Italian. Entry is free though you have to present some identification (drivers license is OK) in exchange for a visitors pass.

I visited the National Automobile Museum in Turin as well and was told by one of the assistant curators that the Alfa Museum will ultimately move to Turin as the Arese site is to be redeveloped. However, this will not happen for some time yet. This museum is also well worth a look and at the time I visited was hosting a Bertone display on the ground floor. It's very easy to find as it's on the Red Bus route and costs about 8 euros to enter.

As to the leaking roof - it's Italy ...

Hope this helps,
Chris

[1750GTV]

A few photos.

Chris

[1750GTV]

and from the museum in Turin ...

Chris

[1750GTV]

a couple more from Turin

[AikenDrum105]

That's awesome Chris - thanks for posting all that info and some pics ! 

Need to get a wriggle on and get over there for a look see,  I thought I might have missed the chance ...

Cheers,

Scott.

[1750GTV]

Scott,

I may have just been lucky.

My wife speaks Italian fluently and she made the booking over the phone when we were in Italy in September. The Italian man who took the call may have been nice to her because she is female. Either way, it's worth a go. The building opposite the museum where they store cars not on current display seemed to be undergoing some repair or renovation when we were there. The ceiling was missing in parts and many of the cars were either covered or moved away. The museum itself looked fine. For most of the day we were the only people in the building until late in the day when we were joined by four Italians.

If you miss the Alfa museum, the National Automobile Museum in Turin is fantastic with a real European flavour to the development of the automobile. It has only recently been refurbished, covers three very large floors and is wonderfully curated.

You can get from Milan to Turin on the high speed (300kph) Frecciarossa - worth it just for the trip. It takes about an hour to cover the ~180km. If you do get to Turin, have a look at the Mole Antonelliana as well. It now houses the National Museum of Cinema and is absolutely fantastic - particularly the glass lift ride to the observation deck - and is much, much more than just a museum.

Good luck and post some photos when you return,

Chris

[lombardi]

Grazie mille Chris for the info, have emailed. CIAO

[lombardi]

The email address came back as error,so rang,spoke to a lady and said museum is closed-chiuso- but since i perservered( coming from a million miles away ) she said to ring back in 2 hours to speak to the DOTTORE, tutti sono dottori in italia, will let u know the outcome, buona fortuna. ciao

[lombardi]

Spoke to IL DOTTORE, very accomodating, told him what date i will be in milano, said to call him 2 or 3 day's prior and entry will be granted, Thanks again Chris,it is of your info that i will be at the museo.Grazie.