Museu de Belles Arts de València, Valencia

The Museu de Belles Arts de València is an art museum whose collection reaches from medieval Valencian painting to modern works. It holds about 2,000 pieces, with much of the collection created from the 14th through the 17th centuries, including Velázquez’s self-portrait, El Greco’s Saint John the Baptist, Goya’s Playing Children and a painting by Pinturicchio of the Madonna with a writing child and a bishop. The building around you is the former San Pius V College, now the museum’s home.

Juan Pérez Castiel designed it in 1683, and construction continued into the 18th century. Look at the façade’s pointed diamond-shaped masonry, the alternating window pediments and the paired towers. The attached church has an octagonal plan and a large glazed-tile dome, rebuilt after its earlier dome was demolished in 1925.

Inside, the museum is especially known for its Valencian Gothic panels from the 14th and 15th centuries. Its holdings also include a complete altarpiece by Gherardo Starnina, a work by Pinturicchio and an extensive group of Piranesi engravings. The museum began in 1913, and this former religious complex now brings together painting, sculpture, contemporary art and archaeology.