Image credits and copyright information: all artworks featured in this collage are described and individually credited in the article below. Images are reproduced from the respective museums, cultural institutions and credited photographers.
The Odyssey is one of the greatest stories ever told.
More than two thousand years after Homer first narrated the extraordinary journey of Ulysses, his adventures continue to inspire literature, cinema and art.
With Christopher Nolan’s new film The Odyssey bringing Homer’s epic back into the international spotlight, this is the perfect moment to rediscover the story in an unexpected place: Milan.
In fact, several museums in Milan preserve fascinating works connected with Ulysses, the Trojan War and some of the most famous episodes of the Odyssey. From Circe and the Sirens to Athena and Ulysses’ legendary bow, you can follow a small Homeric itinerary through the city.
And for international students, discovering these works is also a wonderful way to
learn Italian through Milan’s museums and culture.
1. Circe – Museo Poldi Pezzoli
Museo Poldi Pezzoli
One of the most fascinating characters in the Odyssey is undoubtedly Circe, the mysterious enchantress encountered by Ulysses on the island of Aeaea.
According to Homer, Circe transforms Ulysses’ companions into animals after offering them an enchanted drink. Ulysses, protected by Hermes, resists her magic and eventually convinces her to restore his companions to human form.
At the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan, the story is evoked by a beautiful painting by Il Grechetto (Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione). Surrounded by animals and exotic objects, Circe appears as an enigmatic and powerful figure.
It is a wonderful example of how a story written in ancient Greece continued to fascinate European artists centuries later.
2. Ulysses Draws His Bow – GAM Milano
Wikimedia Commons
One of the most dramatic moments of the Odyssey takes place after Ulysses finally returns to Ithaca.
Disguised and still unrecognised, he takes part in the challenge organised by Penelope: whoever can string Ulysses’ enormous bow and shoot an arrow through the axes will prove worthy of her hand.
This decisive moment is represented in Giuseppe Grandi’s sculpture Ulysses Draws His Bow, preserved at the GAM – Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano.
The sculpture captures the physical strength and determination of the hero just before he reveals his true identity and takes back his home and kingdom.
3. Diomedes and Ulysses Steal the Palladium – Accademia di Brera
Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali
To understand Ulysses’ story, we have to go back to the event that precedes the Odyssey: the Trojan War.
Ulysses was not only a traveller. He was also one of the most intelligent and cunning Greek heroes fighting at Troy.
At the Accademia di Brera, a work by Giovanni Battista Garberini depicts Diomedes and Ulysses Stealing the Palladium.
The Palladium was a sacred image associated with the protection of Troy. According to the myth, Ulysses and Diomedes secretly entered the city and stole it, weakening Troy’s divine protection.
For all international students attending our school, Brera is particularly special. If your dream is to study Italian in Italy, Il Centro, our Italian language school in Milan,
is located right in this historic and artistic neighbourhood, where art, language and everyday Italian life meet.
Discover why studying Italian in Brera can become a complete cultural immersion experience.
4. Athena – Civico Museo Archeologico
Civico Museo Archeologico di Milano
Ulysses would probably never have completed his extraordinary journey without Athena.
The goddess of wisdom is his great divine protector throughout the Odyssey. She advises him, protects him and intervenes repeatedly to help him return to Ithaca.
At Milan’s Civico Museo Archeologico, visitors can see an ancient Roman representation of Athena inspired by the artistic tradition associated with Phidias.
Her presence reminds us that the Odyssey is not only a story about travelling across the Mediterranean: it is also a story in which human intelligence, destiny and divine intervention are constantly intertwined.
5. The Ship and the Siren – Civico Museo Archeologico
Civico Museo Archeologico di Milano
Another extraordinary connection with Homer can be found in the Etruscan collection of the Civico Museo Archeologico.
An Etruscan amphora dating from around 630 BC depicts a ship together with a Siren, an image that immediately recalls one of the most famous episodes in Book XII of the Odyssey.
Circe warns Ulysses about the irresistible song of the Sirens. Anyone who hears their voices is unable to resist them.
Ulysses, however, wants to hear their legendary song and survive. He orders his sailors to block their ears and tie him firmly to the mast of the ship.
The ancient amphora preserved in Milan is particularly fascinating because the association between the ship and the Siren has been interpreted as a possible reference to this Homeric episode.
You can read more about the object on the official website of the Museo Archeologico di Milano.
From Homer to Christopher Nolan: Why the Odyssey Still Fascinates Us
Why are we still talking about Ulysses thousands of years later?
Perhaps because the Odyssey is much more than the story of a man trying to return home. It speaks about curiosity, intelligence, temptation, fear, identity, nostalgia and the desire to discover what lies beyond the horizon.
Every generation has rediscovered Ulysses in a different way. Ancient Greek and Etruscan artists represented his adventures; painters and sculptors reinvented them centuries later; today cinema brings the story to a new global audience.
And surprisingly, you can encounter many fragments of this extraordinary story simply by walking through Milan.
Learn Italian Through Art and Culture in Milan
For us at Il Centro – Italian Language School in Milan, learning Italian does not end when you leave the classroom.
Museums, streets, paintings, monuments and neighbourhoods can all become part of the learning experience. Reading the description of an artwork, listening to a guide or discussing what you have seen are authentic opportunities to practise vocabulary and improve comprehension.
That is why cultural immersion is such an important part of the experience of learning Italian in Milan.
If you are thinking about coming to Italy to improve your language skills, discover our Italian courses in Milan and experience Italian not only in the classroom, but in the city itself.
So, next time you walk through Milan, keep your eyes open: you might find yourself following in the footsteps of Ulysses. ⚓🏛️