On the waterfront

This is not Sirmione, on Lake Garda, nor the waterfront of Sanremo: incredible as it may seem, it is Milano's Naviglio Grande, the canal which joins the city's Porta Ticinese to the Ticino river.
From May 10th to 12th, the fourth edition of NavigaMI ("Sailing in the heart of Milano") will take to the Naviglio a huge fleet of boats (up to 12 meters long) and thousands of sailing enthusiasts. Visitors will be allowed to embark on the most beautiful boats and yachts of  Italian shipbuilding, and to sail along the canal, which played a fundamental role in the economical development of Milano.
Its project dates back to the Middle Ages, and Milano's stunning cathedral wouldn't have been built if the white marble stones coming from the north-western shores of Lake Maggiore couldn't have been carried by barges through the network of canals up to a small harbour 300 meters from piazza del Duomo. Today, of that network only the Naviglio Grande and the close-by Naviglio Pavese remain.

NavigaMI is open Friday 10th and Saturday 11th from 10 am to 11 pm, and Sunday 12th from 10 am to 8 pm.
Large areas will be dedicated to showcasing accessories, sailing schools and everything that revolves around the world of sailing. Temporary shops of nautical clothing will also be opened during the three days.
7 to 14-year-old brave sailors will be able to experience driving boats and sailing or paddling with the Rowing Club instructors.

Piano pianissimo

For three days, Milano will resonate with the sound of hundreds of pianos. The second edition of Pianocity is about to start with an amazing event: "Cut the Jam" is a concert for 21 pianos which will take place tonight at Rotonda della Besana. At 8 pm and then again at 10 pm, 21 pianists will play works by different artists from different periods of the history of music, ranging from Gioacchino Rossini to Michael Nyman.
The programme for tonight is the following: M. Nyman "1 - 100", G. Rossini "Transcriptions from operas", A.V. Lourié "Formes en l’air – à Pablo Picasso", C. Nancarrow "studio #3 c", D. Lombardi "Sinfonie 2 e 3", J. Cage "Winter music", T. Riley, "inc.".
Riley's work will be played by all 21 pianos four hands: 42 + 42 = 84 hands!
The players tonight are: Dario Bonuccelli, Angela Feola, Antonello d’Onofrio, Vittorio Rabagliati, Maria Isabella de Carli, Angelo Russo, Francesco Calcagno, Luca Marcossi, Stefano Ligoratti, Vincenzo Pasquariello, Jacopo Petrosino, Hideiko Hinohara, Andrea Napoleoni, Antonio Bonazzo, Alfonso Alberti, Ricciarda di Belgiojoso, Nicoletta Feola, Cesare Grassi, Claudio Soviero, Stefano Fiacco, Stefano Malferrari, Giuseppe Gullotta.

It is also a wonderful occasion to visit the so-called Rotonda della Besana, a baroque building complex and former cemetery, with an elegant hoctagonal portico (where the 21 pianos have been placed) enclosing a garden with the deconsacrated church of San Michele ai Sepolcri.

The following two days are full of concerts, which will take place in some of the city's cultural landmarks but also in courtyards and even in private homes; famous pianists together with budding talents will play their keyboards in museums, public libraries, underground stations, parks and squares.
Most of the concerts are free, but booking is necessary.