The building from which you enter the Miniscalchi Erizzo Museum in Verona is a jewel of late Gothic architecture unique in the urban context of Verona. The façade, structured in three registers, is marked in particular by a precious pointed-arch portal with polychrome marble edging and two large biforas opening in the center of the piano nobile.
The construction of the building dates back to the last quarter of the 15th century and is attributed to Angelo di Giovanni, a stonemason of Lombard origin active in Verona. In 1880, adjoining the 15th-century building, the solemn neoclassical palace with a façade facing Via Giuseppe Garibaldi was built, designed by architect Gustavo Strauss; the building overlooks a large enclosed courtyard. Noteworthy is the pediment, internally decorated with a large relief depicting the Miniscalchi-Erizzo coat of arms, crowned with the comital crown, surrounded by a ribbon inscribed with the words “ex concordia fratrum” and scrollwork.
Through a vast atrium, rich with evidence of the original structure of the 15th-century building, you access the neoclassical staircase that leads to the first floor, where the Museum is set up across fifteen rooms. On the ground floor, there is also a space equipped, derived from the former stables, intended for temporary exhibitions promoted by the Museum.
Each exhibition room of the Miniscalchi Erizzo Museum is characterized by the presence of specific collections: small Renaissance bronzes, drawings by masters of the 16th century, archaeological collections, Renaissance weapons and armor, sacred art, 18th-century Venetian furnishings, ivories, majolica, porcelain.
All arranged according to current museological criteria, but set, thanks to paintings and antique furniture, in the home that the Miniscalchi family inhabited for five centuries. The reconstructed “Wunderkammer” of Ludovico Moscardo (a great collector and scholar of the 17th century), the ancient library, and the domestic chapel complete and enrich the museum route.
Information about Miniscalchi Erizzo Museum
Via San Mammaso, 2/A 37121 Verona
Tel. 045/8032484
