One of my favorite places in Boston to visit and recommend to visitors is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Housed in a stunning 15th century Venetian style palace, the museum provides an unusual backdrop for the viewing of art. Located in the Back Bay Fens, not far from the Museum of Fine Arts, Fenway Park and Kenmore Square, the museum has a collection of over 2,500 pieces of art.

Isabella Stewart Gardner herself welcomed her first visitors to the museum on New Year’s Day in 1903. On that special evening, her guests listened to the music of Bach, Mozart, and Schumann as they gazed at the courtyard full of flowers and viewed one of the nation’s finest collections of art. The collection includes works of European, Asian and American art, including paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and decorative arts.

The Gardner Museum has remained essentially unchanged since its founder’s death in 1924. Today, while unchanged, it is certainly not stagnant. A beautiful garden courtyard blooms with life in all seasons amidst three floors of stunning galleries. The museum frequently hosts exhibits of historic and contemporary art. The galleries are filled with pieces spanning thirty centuries

The spirit of the architecture, the personal character of the arrangements and the artistic display of the enchanting courtyard in full bloom together create an atmosphere that distinguishes the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as an intimate and culturally rich treasure.

IMAGES VIA: M. V. Jantzen and M. V. Jantzen on flickr