Art near the golf courses: six museums not to miss

A golf holiday always has a day when the course is off the table: because of bad weather, tiredness or because the person travelling with you does not play. That day works best with a museum in it. Here are six museums located in the same city or area as a golf course, different in scale and theme. Hours and prices change with the seasons: it is worth checking the museum's website again before you leave.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice

The museum is housed in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni and is, as its website describes it, the Venetian home of a great American collector: the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. According to the website it is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm, closed on Tuesdays and on 25 December; the ticket office closes at 5 pm. A full-price ticket costs 17 euros, reduced 14. The nearby course is the Circolo Golf Venezia at Alberoni, on the Lido: an 18-hole par 72 dating from 1928, with a links character and a clubhouse in an Austrian fort. Guests staying at the Hotel Excelsior, also on the Lido, are about twenty minutes from the course according to the hotel; the free shuttle to St Mark's runs in season.

Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona

For the museum's centenary (1926-2026), the exhibition “Un museo, una statua. Dall'allestimento del 1926 al Cangrande secondo Carlo Scarpa” remains open until 10 January 2027. The museum is at corso Castelvecchio 2, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm (last entry at 5:15 pm) and closed on Mondays. The website names verona.coopculture.it as the only official channel for tickets. At Sommacampagna the Golf Club Verona has 18 holes, par 72, among the hills of Custoza and the vineyards; those who choose Lake Garda can stay at the Quellenhof in Lazise.

Uffizi Galleries, Florence

The building, constructed between 1560 and 1580 to a design by Giorgio Vasari, houses on its first and second floors a collection of painting from the Middle Ages to the modern era (Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Mantegna) and a collection of ancient statues and busts belonging to the Medici. Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15 am to 6:30 pm; the ticket office closes at 5:30 pm; closed on Mondays. A named ticket bought on the day costs 25 euros, one bought in advance 29. On the golf side, the Circolo del Golf dell'Ugolino, on the first hills of Chianti, hosted the 40th Italian Open in 1983 and has a swimming pool designed by Pier Luigi Nervi: a small architecture museum in its own right.

South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano

This is the museum of Ötzi, the Copper Age man whose body is kept here, at via Museo 43. The website lists a single ticket at 13 euros, reduced 10, family 26; the opening calendar is published day by day and booking is advised to avoid queues. The best-known course in the area is The Blue Monster at Appiano: nine holes that can also be played as 18, rich in water and surrounded by apple orchards.

Egnazia Museum and Archaeological Park, Fasano

Egnazia has two sides: the museum and the park. According to the Ministry of Culture, the museum tells thirty centuries of history, from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages, with the Tomba delle Melagrane (Tomb of the Pomegranates), a painted chamber from the 4th century BC; the park preserves remains of the Via Traiana, of the Basilica Civile with the hall of the Three Graces, and of the baths. A ticket for the museum alone costs 8 euros (according to the Ministry). The link with golf is direct: from the course of the San Domenico Golf, in the club's own words, you can see the ruins of the ancient city of Egnathia. For a place to stay, Borgo Egnazia is next to the course.

Villa Carlotta, on Lake Como

At Tremezzo, the museum of Villa Carlotta holds works by Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen and the painting “L'ultimo bacio di Romeo e Giulietta” by Francesco Hayez, from 1823. The ticket, which also includes the botanical garden, costs 17.50 euros in 2026; until 18 October it is open from 10 am to 7 pm, then from 10 am to 6 pm until 8 November. The area's historic course is Menaggio e Cadenabbia, founded in 1907.

How to combine museum and golf without rushing

Three practical rules. First: Monday. Castelvecchio and the Uffizi are closed on Mondays, the Peggy Guggenheim on Tuesdays: if you want to see a museum, its closing day is the right moment to play. Second: booking. At the Guggenheim the website advises buying the ticket online and choosing an entry time; in Bolzano reservations are recommended to avoid queues; at Villa Carlotta, on closing days, entry is by reservation only. Third: bags. At the Guggenheim backpacks and bulky items are not allowed, a detail to remember if you arrive straight from the course with your golf bag in the car.