VISIT AND TICKETS TO THE MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS IN MILAN
Milan is not only a city of art, but also one of the most avant-garde metropolises in Italy, a symbol of enterprise, pragmatism and cultural vivacity.
A visit to what is often referred to as the ‘moral capital’ of Italy can give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in a cosmopolitan environment full of many things to see and do: from sites of historical and artistic interest to innovative and equally fun and stimulating activities, such as those offered by the Museum of Illusions.
Tickets for the Museum of Illusions
Tickets for the Museum of Illusions in Milan
To visit the Museum of Illusions in Milan, it is strongly recommended to book tickets well in advance: this is a recently opened museum, which arouses a lot of curiosity among both tourists and people living in Milan.
Buying admission in advance also allows you to skip the queue and to take a guided tour (in Italian or English); for changes of programme, you can change your ticket up to the day before the visit. Once at the museum, you can show your ticket from your smartphone, without having to print it out.
Based on the experience of visitors, the duration of a tour of the Museum of Illusions is about one hour, the right amount of time to observe and interact with the installations without confusing (and fatiguing) our brains too much. Precisely because of the way they work and the way we see them, some installations (such as the Vortex tunnel) are not recommended for those suffering from epilepsy or balance disorders; however, even those with these conditions will enjoy the other activities on offer, which are suitable for everyone.
Museum of Illusions: how to visit
From July 2021, it is possible to have an experience in Milan that transcends our senses and makes us realise how they sometimes give us an illusory perception of reality. If we are looking for an activity that combines fun with direct observation of how the human mind works, this is the right place.
From Piazza del Duomo, which in addition to the city’s cathedral also houses the Museo del Novecento and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, it only takes four stops on the yellow metro (number 3) to enter an upside-down world: not a museum in the classical sense of the term, but a veritable gallery of experiences that will upset our perceptive convictions.
Forget walking among paintings and sculptures, here you yourself will become part of the installations and thus of the illusions, such only because of the way our eyes see them and our senses process them. Precisely for this reason, the Museum of Illusions is suitable both for adults, who will have fun discovering something about how our mind interprets what our senses perceive, and for the little ones, who will be able to become giants in the Ames Room, tiny in Beuchet’s chair or walk on the ceiling in the Rotated Room. The only imperative: don’t forget your camera!
Although it is suitable for everyone, children aged six and over will be able to fully enjoy the puzzles and optical illusions that characterise many of the installations; of the seventy or so inside the museum, only three are not suitable for wheelchair access (or with a pushchair).
The Museum of Illusions in Milan is a proven venue in various parts of the world and therefore knows how to attract the attention of visitors of all ages.
The Museum of Illusions in Milan is a proven venue in various parts of the world and therefore knows how to attract the attention of visitors of all ages.
In addition to the rooms housing the illusions and involving visitors in the first person, they will also be able to test themselves in the Smart playroom, where numerous ‘Dilemma Games’ are available; no longer needing smartphones for the pictures, but intuition and logic: in fact, these are historical games, such as puzzles and brain teasers to solve.
Installations at the Museum of Illusions
If we think that what surrounds us is exactly as we see it, we are wrong, and the Museum of Illusions has a series of installations that will make us think again: our senses and our minds sometimes interpret the world around us in a distorted way.
Some attractions, such as the Ames Room, the Rotated Room or the Infinity Room, play on our perception of ourselves in relation to space: in here we zoom in, zoom out, multiply infinitely and can wander through a world that is literally upside down.
Others are based on photographic and optical illusions, such as that of Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin: an image representing a vase but also profiles. Then it is possible to enter a room where the laws of gravity do not work as we have always thought or to sit at a table with five clones of ourselves.
And who has never wondered how others see us? Reflecting in the real mirror will give you a taste of this, as the two sides, left and right, are not reversed as in traditional mirrors.
In short, in addition to the Duomo or more traditional museums such as the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Museum of Illusions is one of the destinations not to be missed in one of the liveliest cities in Europe.