Summer at the Castle: starlit nights in Milan

From June 12th to September 9th, the Cortile delle Armi at Castello Sforzesco becomes an open-air stage.

It's the fourteenth edition of Summer at the Castle, with artistic direction by Federico Russo: seventy events spanning music, theatre, talks and cinema, with up to 2,300 seats a night.

What's on

Live music almost every night. From Paola Turci to Carmen Consoli, from Noa to Alberto Fortis, to Angélique Kidjo. Talks with leading voices in contemporary thought — Massimo Cacciari, Massimo Recalcati, Mario Tozzi, Umberto Galimberti. Stand-up comedy. Theatre. Dance. Stefano Nazzi's Indagini live, for true crime fans.

The Torre del Filarete, seen from the Cortile delle Armi

From August 1st to 25th the programme shifts gears: twenty-five nights of open-air cinema curated by Cineteca Milano. Auteur titles and popular classics, from Casablanca to Blade Runner. Free entry with booking.

Not a line-up for tourists. A piece of the city reclaiming its summer nights — and sharing them with whoever happens to be passing through.

This week

→ Alex Britti — July 17
→ Angélique Kidjo — July 21
→ D come Dannate Ingenue (Consoli, Nada, Marina Rei) — July 22
→ Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here — July 23
→ Enrico Bertolino — July 24
→ Noa — July 25
→ Alberto Fortis — July 26

Before or after the show

New this edition: some of the Castle's museum rooms stay open free of charge beyond regular hours on show nights. The Pinacoteca, the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art — all within the same perimeter as the Cortile delle Armi.

To extend the evening with a guided visit, Milanoguida keeps an updated calendar of exhibitions across the city, including those at Palazzo Reale, a few minutes on foot.

Why we recommend it to HÕMA Spiga guests

The Castle is a few minutes' walk from HÕMA Spiga, right in the heart of the Fashion District. An evening of music under the stars, then home on foot — no taxi needed.

And it's free, or nearly so — which, in Milan in July, is never a given.