Must-see entertainment in Milan

Having made a name for itself with a program boasting some of the finest names in Italian cinema and theatre, Franco Parenti cemented its role as a…

One of the most famous opera stages in the world, La Scala's season runs from early December to July. You can also see theatre, ballet and classical-music…

This risk-taking little repertory theatre was opened in 1947 by Paolo Grassi and theatre director Giorgio Strehler, who then embarked on a nationwide…

This trailblazing theatre with seating for 960 people was designed by Marco Zanuso in 1998 to address the size constraints of the original Piccolo Teatro…

Abandoned after WWII, the Cinema Massimo was transformed in 1999 into the state-of-the-art home of Milan's legendary Giuseppe Verde Symphonic Orchestra…

This enormous baroque theatre is one of the oldest in Milan, although it hosts the avant-garde theatre company, Manifatture Teatrali Milanesi. They put on…

This refurbished 'palace' cinema complex has an impressive technical spec with 2K and 4K projectors and an Atmos sound system throughout. In addition to…

Built in 1868, this miniature theatre modelled on La Scala was built for the purpose of staging puppet shows in Milanese dialect. In danger of dereliction…

Housed in a former Lateran convent, Milan’s most prestigious musical conservatory and high school has nurtured some of the country’s best conductors and…

Multifunctional spaces are all the rage in Milan, and Santeria encapsulates the mood perfectly. By day this ex-Volvo dealership acts as a co-working space…

The 'delicatessen of music' is a firm favourite with Milan's alternative scene. Come here for new funk, rock and soul acts, literary salons, cabaret,…

Designed by Vittorio Gregotti to house the opera when La Scala was being renovated, the Arcimboldi’s fan-shaped auditorium is one of the best in the city…

This ‘secret’ 75-seat cinema in a renovated showroom beneath a speakeasy bar is the brainchild of nine friends and a successful crowd-funding campaign…

Completely eschewing the Italian tradition of dubbing films, the lovely 1930s Beltrade movie house screens indie films in their original language to an…

Top-class acts from around the world perform here at the only European outpost for New York's historic Blue Note jazz club. Groove your way through jazz,…

This tiny, unpretentious venue down the heavily graffitied Via Gola has an outsized reputation for hosting stellar live-music performances for serious…

Despite Milan's huge international community, it's often hard to find movies showing in their original version. Not so at Cinema Mexico, where Thursday is…

Most big-name music artists that play Milan do so at major venues outside the city centre. Mediolanum Forum is one of the largest venues and has hosted…

San Siro Stadium wasn't designed to hold the entire population of Milan, but on a Sunday afternoon amid 80,000 football-mad citizens it can certainly feel…

When this former warehouse is full of a thousand people working up a sweat to an international indie or electronic act, there's no better place to be in…