Musée des Beaux-Arts

Chambéry


Occupying a former corn exchange, Chambéry's grand fine-arts museum exhibits mostly 14th- to 18th-century Italian works. There's a particular emphasis on Florentine and Sienese paintings from the Renaissance, including pieces by Caravaggio, Titian and Ghirlandaio; exhibitions are laid out in the light-flooded upper floor of this elegant 19th-century gallery. Also worth a look are the many dramatic landscapes of Chambéry and the Alps painted between 1799 and 1975.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chambéry attractions

1. Fontaine des Éléphants

0.19 MILES

With its four carved elephants, this 17.6m-high fountain looks like the model for an old Indian postage stamp. It was sculpted in 1838 in honour of…

2. Hôtel de Cordon

0.2 MILES

This former hôtel particulier (historic private mansion) has interactive displays on local culture on its upper floor. It's also the starting point for…

3. Musée Savoisien

0.25 MILES

Due for a grand reopening in 2020, this museum housed in a Franciscan monastery was closed to undergo a massive renovation when we passed through. When it…

4. Château des Ducs de Savoie

0.26 MILES

Medieval walls, Gothic tracery, trompe l'oeil detailing…Chambéry's château has acquired a wealth of styles since its founding in the 11th century. Once…

5. Cathédrale St-François de Sales

0.26 MILES

All is not as it seems inside Chambéry's 15th-century Franciscan cathedral, decorated with 6000 sq metres of trompe l’œil painting. The largest such…

6. Musée des Charmettes

1.19 MILES

Geneva-born philosopher, composer and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a key figure of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, lived the happiest years…

7. Temple of Diana

8.32 MILES

This 1st-century Roman temple – dedicated originally not to Diana, but probably a local Celtic god – is inside the town hall, a 16th-century château built…

8. Arc de Campanus

8.36 MILES

More than 9m high, this triumphal arch is thought to date to the late 1st-century. The Latin inscription declares glory to the Campanus family, members of…