The year in Milano starts with shopping sales. In fact, January for the Milanese means above all one thing and one thing only: "saldi". The period of bargains and discounts extends through February in the shop-intensive areas of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via Montenapoleone, Via Torino, Corso Buenos Aires and Corso Garibaldi.

Fashion collections also return to the catwalk, first with the Milano Fashion Week Men’s (from 12 to 16 January), dedicated to the new men's collections for Autumn/Winter 2024-2025, followed by Milano Fashion Week Women's, from 20 to 26 February. Between the two glamorous events, the Carnival of Fat Saturday (17 February), which in Milano ends four days later than the rest of Italy and indeed the world: it is time for masquerades and parades, kid parties in costume, confetti, streamers and traditional sweets.

January and February are the coldest months in Milano, and from the terraces of the Duomo you can see the white peaks of the Lombard Alps, the mountains on the outskirts of Milano. Bormio and Livigno, Olympic venues for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, are among the ski resorts that welcome the Milanese and their visitors for an outing in the snow. The slopes are just perfect for downhill and snowboarding, and there are tracks for freeriding and cross-country skiing, ski mountaineering and snowshoeing, but also après-ski activities, high-altitude Spas and hearty dinners in refuges sipping grappa by the fireplace, for a true Italian winter vacation on the Alps.

In Spring, nature awakens and Milano is in bloom. You will notice it when passing through Piazza Tommaseo, one of the most poetic corners of the city: in March, the spectacle of pink magnolias heralds the start of the new season, always attracting onlookers ready to share the first shots of the budding spring on social media. Impossible to neglect this patrician part of the city, given that the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie housing the Last Supper is just a few steps away: if you have never seen Leonardo's universal masterpiece, it is the right time to plan a visit (make sure to book your entry in advance).

This is also the season for the first picnics in the city parks, for bike rides and, above all, for major events. miart (12-14 April 2024), the international modern and contemporary art fair, and the Milano Art Week open the calendar, while Piano City (from 17 to 19 May 2024), with its countless free concerts (also amateurs can give it a try) from sunset to dawn all around Milano, close the springtime program.

But it is the Milano Design Week (from 15 to 21 April 2024) which is the apogee of Spring in Milano: seven days in which the city showcases its reputation as a global hub for design and international creativity. Installations, exhibitions, presentations (and cool parties) enliven showrooms, courtyards, historic monuments and abandoned factories. Designers and buyers, visitors and creatives meet at the Salone del Mobile.Milano, the world mecca of interior design that fills the pavilions of Fiera Milano Rho, in order to be inspired and interact with emerging talents and established professionals in the design industry.

Milano celebrates design because it is part of its identity all-year round: Castiglioni, Zanuso, Mendini, Sottsass are only some of the names based in Milano that have revolutionized industrial design, and the city devotes not one but two museums to designers and the history of their creations: the Triennale Milano and the ADI Design Museum, which has all the creations that have won the Compasso D’Oro since 1954 in exquisite display, because Milano is elegant by design.

June is the month of Milano Pride. The Parade is every year bigger than the last one, proving that Milano is a rainbow city.

Summer begins and Milano slows down during the day, while getting very lively at night. From June to September, the aperitivo movida moves to the pools of Villa Necchi, a splendid Art Deco house museum, and Bagni Misteriosi, a radical chic hangout by the Franco Parenti Theater, in the bars of NoLo and Corso Sempione, the nightlife area of Ticinese, Darsena and Navigli, and the string of outdoor clubs along the Martesana canal. As the sun goes down, the lights go on in the city arenas which host the big summer concerts: the Hippodrome, San Siro Stadium and Castello Sforzesco. In 2024, they will feature Metallica, Lana del Rey, Green Day, Doja Cat, Bruce Springsteen, and Taylor Swift, and that’s just for starters.

Finally, in September, the Milano Fashion Week Women’s (from 17 to 23 September; while Milano Fashion Week Men’s is scheduled in June, from 14 to 18) returns to the city with its designer collections, glittering shows and extravagant parties, making Milano the world capital of fashion once more. This is also a good month to go to the San Siro Stadium and watch FC Inter or AC Milan play at the top of Serie A league. From 30 of August to 1 of September, the Formula 1 drivers are ready to go racing once again in Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.

Autumn and its hues are well suited to the discreet charm of the city. In October it is still warm, but the light changes and the foliage is just incredible in Milano. The sunsets are spectacular in this season, as the sun gets reflected in the waters of the Navigli canals or paint with pastel colors the streets of Brera, Milano’s Art District. The leaves of the trees of BAM create a symphony in red, yellow and brown: this is the park at the foot of the Vertical Forest, the iconic green skyscraper of the new Milano. And when the weather gets bad, you can find shelter and culture in the city museums: autumn is the season where the great international exhibits open at Palazzo Reale, while for contemporary art, the destinations of choice are Fondazione Prada and Pirelli HangarBicocca, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

There’s no month that is more Milanese than December. December 7 is the day of St. Ambrose, protector of the city, when the Scala premiere is traditionally held and all the eyes of Italy are on Milano. Opera music can be listened to everywhere thanks to "Prima Diffusa" and the Christmas magic is at its highest in Milano’s shopping boulevards like Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Corso Buenos Aires. If you haven't ever tried the “panettone”, the most famous dessert in Milan, this is the right time to give in to temptation.

There’s no better place to spend the winter holidays and the ski resorts of the Alps are nearby for a New Year’s Eve on the snow.