The Maggazino Italian Art Center has literally been on my bucket list for YEARS. Anticipating crappy weather this past weekend, I decided to finally go, but unfortunately I was disappointed with my experience.
Art is subjective and not every museum experience is going to be a “homerun.” The admission fee for Maggazino is low ($20) and I appreciated how the clerk at the front desk instructed me as to how to view the exhibits.
Essentially, the museum is divided into numbered galleries. The floor plan is quite open and each gallery has about 6-8 pieces that are showcased. Maggazino doesn’t display informational cards next to their pieces, but instead provides you with a booklet discussing background information, form, etc.
While I appreciated the booklet, the pictures inside were grainy. Everything was organized by gallery, but I almost felt that the booklet was asking me to look at the pieces in a particular order, which isn’t exactly my style. And while I appreciate an strong display of Italian history and heritage, very few pieces at Maggazino “wowed” me. I wasn’t underwhelmed, but I wasn’t enchanted either.
I thoroughly enjoyed walking between the galleries and seeing the light pouring in through the glass windows. The view of the courtyard and surrounding land was quite spectacular, especially on a warm, sunny day.
There are artworks on the grounds that can also be viewed, but I found it frustrating that there wasn’t a map or signage available to know where you were going. There was also another pavilion (the Robert Olnick Pavilion) I missed, not realizing the separate building contained more works of art.
Honestly, the thing I enjoyed the most about Maggazino were the donkeys on the property. They were adorable and certainly brought the feeling of being in the Italian countryside.
Kevin Willis
This is a fantastic and unexpected gem of a place to visit in the Hudson Valley. It's a passion project of the husband and wife team who own it and the gallery staff is wonderful, helpful, and thrilled to have you there. Ticketed visitors to the art gallery can also dine a short walk up the hill at Cafe Silvia, which serves excellent food and coffee.
Ken Abbott PhD
The food at the cafe is wonderful.
Andy Keet
The art is so interesting and enjoyable. The layout and space is free flowing. The staff were engaged. BUT, the cafe is phenomenal. Absolutely plan to eat while you are here. A wonderful atmosphere and NYC level food.
Dominic Palarchio
Drove all the way up from the city and they closed hours early with no notice on the website. This place has no accountability
J T
Beautiful warehouse transformed into an Italian museum that hosts seasonal events. The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly. The Cafe/restaurant transports you back to Italy. The Sardinian donkeys rescued are a special treat!
Maayan Perez
Great museum and architecture, both the building itself and the outdoor grounds are thoughtfully designed.
That said, I strongly do not recommend visiting with children under 10. We were extremely uncomfortable during our visit. The staff was constantly on us because we had kids, which created a very stressful atmosphere rather than an enjoyable one. Instead of feeling welcomed, we felt watched and judged, which completely took away from the experience.
If you are going with kids, I would skip this museum and go to Dia Beacon instead.
mc cassa
The restaurant was indeed a gem! The food was delicious. The Staff gracious and professional. The collection educational and interesting. I was unsettled by the puny Christmas tree placed beside the colossal menorah—it felt like a clear message.
David Patnaude
A wonderful museum and great restaurant. The architecture is stunning.
We showed up at the Cafe in December 2024, hoping to have a birthday lunch for our child and his 80+ grandparents. The staff refused to seat us in any empty restaurant because there might be a lot of patrons after an ongoing event. The cafe does not take reservations, which we would have made. To be clear, we are locals who had previously eaten at the cafe often and also patronized the museum regularly. No one responded to my email communications about the problem with our non-lunch. This was so embarrassing that we haven't been been back since, with no desire to return
ken ha
From a museum professional, I have been in many top museums in the world and currently working for Glenstone Museum, this is my experience with Maggazino after this weekend visit: Extremely rude and u helpful staff, entering the place after long drive with my partner only being greeted with hostility and judgement that we were having hard time navigating the space (which is poorly layout) The institution really needs to reconsider training the staff properly because this is unprofessional on so many levels. This is an art museum not some charity facility where we have to begged people to be nice to us. With all the resources and wealth you guys got and this is how you treating your visitors? Do better.
Keith Cottingham
Amazing place! Great art, great food, great people.
Amy Kang
We were looking for something to do on the way to the apple farm and found this place. Wow! We had an amazing time at the Magazzino Italian Art gallery. Architecture was simply stunning and minimalist design, nature surrounding made us feel like we came to Italy. The farm, donkey, backdrop of landscape with colorful trees- that’s an experience I highly recommend to anyone who appreciates nature and art. Admission is $20 per adult. We checked out the cafe but didn’t get to eat, so definitely we are making a plan to go back and eat at the cafe.
Goksu Okar
Interesting place and architecture. They have a cute cafe overlooking great views.
Very impressive place in the middle of nowhere
The Maggazino Italian Art Center has literally been on my bucket list for YEARS. Anticipating crappy weather this past weekend, I decided to finally go, but unfortunately I was disappointed with my experience.
Art is subjective and not every museum experience is going to be a “homerun.” The admission fee for Maggazino is low ($20) and I appreciated how the clerk at the front desk instructed me as to how to view the exhibits.
Essentially, the museum is divided into numbered galleries. The floor plan is quite open and each gallery has about 6-8 pieces that are showcased. Maggazino doesn’t display informational cards next to their pieces, but instead provides you with a booklet discussing background information, form, etc.
While I appreciated the booklet, the pictures inside were grainy. Everything was organized by gallery, but I almost felt that the booklet was asking me to look at the pieces in a particular order, which isn’t exactly my style. And while I appreciate an strong display of Italian history and heritage, very few pieces at Maggazino “wowed” me. I wasn’t underwhelmed, but I wasn’t enchanted either.
I thoroughly enjoyed walking between the galleries and seeing the light pouring in through the glass windows. The view of the courtyard and surrounding land was quite spectacular, especially on a warm, sunny day.
There are artworks on the grounds that can also be viewed, but I found it frustrating that there wasn’t a map or signage available to know where you were going. There was also another pavilion (the Robert Olnick Pavilion) I missed, not realizing the separate building contained more works of art.
Honestly, the thing I enjoyed the most about Maggazino were the donkeys on the property. They were adorable and certainly brought the feeling of being in the Italian countryside.
This is a fantastic and unexpected gem of a place to visit in the Hudson Valley. It's a passion project of the husband and wife team who own it and the gallery staff is wonderful, helpful, and thrilled to have you there. Ticketed visitors to the art gallery can also dine a short walk up the hill at Cafe Silvia, which serves excellent food and coffee.
The food at the cafe is wonderful.
The art is so interesting and enjoyable. The layout and space is free flowing. The staff were engaged. BUT, the cafe is phenomenal. Absolutely plan to eat while you are here. A wonderful atmosphere and NYC level food.
Drove all the way up from the city and they closed hours early with no notice on the website. This place has no accountability
Beautiful warehouse transformed into an Italian museum that hosts seasonal events. The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly. The Cafe/restaurant transports you back to Italy. The Sardinian donkeys rescued are a special treat!
Great museum and architecture, both the building itself and the outdoor grounds are thoughtfully designed.
That said, I strongly do not recommend visiting with children under 10. We were extremely uncomfortable during our visit. The staff was constantly on us because we had kids, which created a very stressful atmosphere rather than an enjoyable one. Instead of feeling welcomed, we felt watched and judged, which completely took away from the experience.
If you are going with kids, I would skip this museum and go to Dia Beacon instead.
The restaurant was indeed a gem! The food was delicious. The Staff gracious and professional. The collection educational and interesting. I was unsettled by the puny Christmas tree placed beside the colossal menorah—it felt like a clear message.
A wonderful museum and great restaurant. The architecture is stunning.
Restaurantji Recommends
We showed up at the Cafe in December 2024, hoping to have a birthday lunch for our child and his 80+ grandparents. The staff refused to seat us in any empty restaurant because there might be a lot of patrons after an ongoing event. The cafe does not take reservations, which we would have made. To be clear, we are locals who had previously eaten at the cafe often and also patronized the museum regularly. No one responded to my email communications about the problem with our non-lunch. This was so embarrassing that we haven't been been back since, with no desire to return
From a museum professional, I have been in
many top museums in the world and currently working for Glenstone Museum, this is my experience with Maggazino after this weekend visit:
Extremely rude and u helpful staff, entering the place after long drive with my partner only being greeted with hostility and judgement that we were having hard time navigating the space (which is poorly layout)
The institution really needs to reconsider training the staff properly because this is unprofessional on so many levels. This is an art museum not some charity facility where we have to begged people to be nice to us. With all the resources and wealth you guys got and this is how you treating your visitors? Do better.
Amazing place! Great art, great food, great people.
We were looking for something to do on the way to the apple farm and found this place.
Wow! We had an amazing time at the Magazzino Italian Art gallery.
Architecture was simply stunning and minimalist design, nature surrounding made us feel like we came to Italy.
The farm, donkey, backdrop of landscape with colorful trees- that’s an experience I highly recommend to anyone who appreciates nature and art.
Admission is $20 per adult.
We checked out the cafe but didn’t get to eat, so definitely we are making a plan to go back and eat at the cafe.
Interesting place and architecture. They have a cute cafe overlooking great views.
Loading...