Milan's Ten Best Winter Events
10 Top Things to Do in Milano, Italy from November through March
The winter season gets off to a good start in November by celebrating all things food, then the real social season begins with the annual opening night at La Scala. After the holidays, it’s on to fashion. Here are the highlights that bring travelers to this northern Italian city for both business and pleasure.
Expo dei Sapori
November: A grand exposition of Italian foods and wines fill the Fiera Milano with savory aromas and a frenzy of tastings.
La Scala Opera
On December 7, everybody who’s anybody in Milan turns out for the opening night of the winter opera season. It’s the time to be seen, and very formal.
Festa di Sant' Ambrogio
Also on December 7, the piazza at the Basilica of San Ambrogio spring to life celebrating the feast day of Saint Ambrose, patron saint of Milan, with a joyous and colorful combination of craft and food festival, with street performers. The feast day kicks off the annual Christmas Market, 9-9 daily through Christmas Eve.
Corteo dei Re Magi (Wise Men Processional)
January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, observed in Milan with a procession that begins at the Duomo at 10 am, with the three kings parading through the city’s streets and piazze.
Milano Moda Uomo
January kicks off the Italian fashion year with the fall men’s collection, and Milanese dress even more impeccably than their usual standards. Major houses have their own show venues, while the rest show at the big Fiera di Milano. Known simply as Fiera, Milan’s trade fair center covers an enormous stretch west of Parco Sempione, but can’t hold all the events and people.
Carnevale Ambrosiano
You could almost mistake Milan for Venice during the February pre-lenten carnival bash. parades fill the already busy streets with colorful floats and the streets around Piazza Duomo are filled with costumed revelers. It all ends the first Saturday of Lent.
Milano Moda Donna
It’s the women’s turn in February, when Women’s Fashion Week showcases Italian designers’ fall styles and the cream of the fashion houses send the top models out to strut their stuff down the catwalks.
Milano-San Remo Bicycle Race
With the first taste of spring in the air, the third Saturday of March fills Milan’s central streets with racers pedaling furiously on the start of their race to the Riviera.
Oggi Aperto
The third weekend of March is a highlight for the more culturally minded, too, as privately-owned historic buildings open once a year for public viewing of their magnificent interiors and collections.
Milano International Independent Film Festival
The several-weeks-long festival recognizes the works of independent film-makers from around the world, with screenings at theaters and halls all around the city.
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