The city of Milano has prepared a program of summer events called La Bella Estate (The Beautiful Summer) to give residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy outdoor concerts and cultural events all around the city. The epicenter of the summer program is the Estate Sforzesca: until September 7, more than 80 live concerts and performances will take place inside the Sforza Castle walls, either free of charge or at very affordable prices, ranging from jazz to pop, rock and electronic music (access granted with the EU Digital Covid Certificate or Green Pass to all the events).

At Castello Sforzesco, the exhibition Body and Soul, from Donatello to Michelangelo, presented in collaboration with the Louvre, focuses on Italian Renaissance sculpture in its dialogue with the other arts. Over sixty years in the history of art and 120 works are on display in an evocative itinerary, accurately depicting innovations such as the improvements in perspective and anatomy, the renewed passion for the human body and soul, the care in highlighting emotions, from fury to grace, that made the greatness of the Italian Renaissance. The itinerary has its natural end in the Pietà Rondanini Museum, hosting Michelangelo’s final masterpiece in the Castello’s permanent collection.

Pirelli Hangar Bicocca hosts Breath Ghosts Blind, an exhibit by contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan. Lasting until 2022, the new solo show unfolds in a series of acts exploring existential concepts such as the fragility of life, individual memory, and collective sense of loss. Between symbolic references and popular imagery, this unique project especially conceived for the Milanese art venue upends social values, with the irreverence that has made Cattelan a celebrity around the world. A visit to the exhibition is also an opportunity to get to know Hangar Bicocca, an essential hub of contemporary art in Milan, with its imposing resident site-specific work by Anselm Kiefer, The Seven Heavenly Palaces. 

In its exhibition rooms, Museo del Novecento reenacts the artistic path of painter Mario Sironi. Symbolism, futurism, expressionism, and metaphysics: in Sironi's paintings thoughtfulness and sensibility intertwine with the history of Italian art and a personal poetic look on Milan’s urban landscapes.

Up to the last week of August, Milano will host Milano Arte Musica Festival, offering Baroque and Renaissance music concerts by prestigious international ensembles and performers. Live performances will take place in evocative settings and ancient churches, including San Simpliciano Basilica and the solemn Santa Maria della Passione.

Until September 12, Triennale Milano, the art, architecture and design museum of Milano, features two retrospectives devoted to two seminal Italian designers, Enzo Mari and Vico Magistretti, two geniuses that put Milano on the world map as international capital of design.

The art program closes with Milano Art Week (September 13-19), in collaboration with Miart Fair of modern and contemporary art.

Going forward, there will be Supersalone at Fiera Milano on September 5-10. Designed by archistar Stefano Boeri, it will be a special edition of the Salone del Mobile (Milan's Furniture Fair), featuring the best of Made in Italy design over the last decades.

Milano is back and a spirit of euphoria is pervading the city. There’s never been a better time to visit Italy’s gateway to Europe and the world.