The high ceilings, pastel colored walls and the ethereal pumped in classical music at the plush neo-Renaissance building that houses the Mimara Museum, all work hard to convince that you are in a place that is genuinely special. But honestly, the collection here cannot rank among the finer in Europe. Too many paintings come with the qualifiers “”in the manner of”, “workshop of”, “follower of” for such a designation. Having said that though, there are some real jewels here. You’ll find original canvases from the likes of Goya, Van Dyck, Delacroix, Velasquez, Brueghel, Pissarro and other masters. And look out for the enchanting 16th century Venetian chess board, it will put a smile on your face.