Cheap Trip

Visit an Italian palazzo—without leaving town.

ho doesn’t want a trip to Europe on the cheap? When you’re peeking through the cloisters at the greenery and statues in the courtyard, and looking up at the three-floor Venetian palace, you may forget that you’re not in an Italian palazzo on a canal. Really you’re at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, touring the 19th-century socialite’s collection of more than 2,500 objects, including works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael, Botticelli, John Singer Sargent, and more. So what’s the secret to this reasonably well-known museum? If your name is Isabella you’ll get free admission—and if it’s not, you can still get in free on your birthday and receive a discount with a student ID or for wearing Red Sox garb. Moskal

Shhhh! Every third Thursday of the month the museum hosts “After Hours,” with live music, performances, or gallery talks and a courtyard bar.

Shhhh! In 1990, the museum was the victim
of one of the biggest art heists in history when thieves stole 13 pieces by greats including Rembrandt
and Degas worth more than $350 million dollars. None of the artworks has been found.

Shhhh! “Isabella” is the 997th most common
name in the United States. The top five? “Mary,” “Patricia,” “Linda,” “Barbara,” and “Elizabeth.”