In May 1999, the seventeenth-century Baroque palace Palazzo Leoni Montanari was open to the public as a museum hosting two permanent collections: one of Venetian painting of the eighteenth century and one of ancient Russian icons (one of the most important collections exhibited in the West). It hosts numerous temporary exhibitions too. 
Inside the building there are rooms full of decorations, frescoes and stucco with people who often refer to the classical greek-roman tradition. Very frequent are allegories. 

In the adjacent offices there are an extensive library of Russian art and culture and a restoration workshop.