Organ music in Santa Maria della Passione

From October 2013 to June 2014, a series of organ concerts will be performed in the church of Santa Maria della Passione, next to Milano's Conservatory of Music.

The programme:

- Sunday October 13th - 4.30 pm - organist Stefano Molardi, music by Frescobaldi, Kuhnau, J. C. Bach

- Sunday November 10th   - 4.30 pm - organists Hank Verhoef and Matteo Imbruno, music by Gabrieli, Sweelinck, Boehm, Bach

- Sunday December 8th  -  4.30 pm - organist Anders Dahl, music by Bach, Brahms, Buxtehude

- Sunday January 12th  - 4.30 pm - organist Luc Paganon, music by Bruhns, Pachelbel, Boehm

- Sunday February 9th - 4.30 pm - organist Nicolò Sari, music by Scheidemann, Bach, Bruna

- Sunday March 9th - 4.30 pm - organist Maurizio Salerno, music by Buxtehude, Boehm, Bruhns

- Sunday April 13th - 4.30 pm - organist Yuzuru Hiranaka, music by Sweelinck, Hofhaimer, Bach

- Sunday May 11th - 4.30 pm - organist Maurizio Croci, music by Vivaldi, Bach, Buxtehude

- Sunday June 8th - 4.30 pm - organist Erwan Le Prado, music by Racquet, Roberday, de Grigny.

Admission to every concert is free.
Further information here.

Aperitivo at the museum

The Fresco Room in Museo Poldi Pezzoli

The Museo Poldi Pezzoli is an extraordinay art museum in the heart of Milano, originated in the 19th century as private collection of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli and his mother, Rosa Trivulzio, of the family of the condottiero Gian Giacomo Trivulzio.
Every Wednesday in July, the museum will be open after the usual opening hours and offer an aperitivo to its guests. In addition, at 7.30 pm, in the Fresco Room, all guests can listen to a concert of jazz or classical music.
The aperitivo is included in the admission ticket, which costs 9 euros.
The program for the next weeks:
July 10: Classical music of the Duo Fratelli Lega (guitar and clarinet): klezmer, tango, Italian song.
July 17: Jazz music of the Elena Bozzon Quartet (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums): electric and free jazz.
July 24: Classical music of the two winners of the Restelli award, 2013 (guitars): the Twentieth Century Guitar.
July 31: Jazz music of the Hermetico Jazz Quartet (guitar, keyboard, bass, drums): latin jazz and contemporary.

Guided walking tours in July

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Here are our guided walking tours in July.
For further information and bookings, call  +39-338-3012220 or write to info@
thebestofmilano.com.
Price per person: 10 euros (children 5 euros).

Seven Wonders of Milano
From the Duomo to the Sforza Castle, a tour of the city's landmarks and places to visit.
Every Sunday at 10 am
Time: 2 hours approximately.
Meeting point: central portal of the Cathedral.

The Last Supper(s)

Couldn’t find the tickets for Leonardo’s Cenacolo? Discover the other Last Suppers in Milano, while visiting some of the most beautiful and ancient churches in town.

Every Thursday and Friday at 2 pm. 
Time: 2 hours approximately.

Meeting point: in front of the entrance of Biblioteca Ambrosiana (piazza Pio XI – 3 minutes from piazza del Duomo).

The Great Plague of Milano

A journey back in time through the centuries, when Milano was ravaged by the plague and the Grim Reaper would be celebrating his abundant harvest. Yet the Milanese stroke back and built the most advanced (and beautiful) hospital in the Renaissance world.

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9.30 am. 
Time: 2 hours approximately.

Meeting point: piazza Fontana (2 minutes from piazza Duomo), next to the fountain.
 

Ghosts of Milano
Discover some of the haunted places in Milano, which restless souls still inhabit in their hopeless search of peace. From the Sforza Castle to noble houses, the tour that Dean and Sam Winchester, the heroes of tv series “Supernatural”, would simply love.

Every Friday at 10 am . 
Time: 2 hours approximately.

Meeting point: at the entrance of the Sforza Castle.

The most romantic spot in Milano

Take the underground (Line 1 - Red) to Palestro.

Walk out of the tube and go down via Palestro, until you find a green kiosk.
Buy two glasses of cold Prosecco. Use plastic glasses and take them away. Don't drink yet.
Continue along via Palestro until you get to Villa Belgiojoso.
A few meters before the main entrance, you will find the access to the park.
Enter the park, regardless of the sign saying "Access to this park is reserved to children up to 12 years accompanied by adults". The custodians will not stop you, unless you linger too long in the garden. Show them your two glasses of Prosecco and take your companion by the hand. They will understand.
Inside the park, keep left; let the sound of the waterfall guide you.
Follow the path climbing behind the waterfall.

When you get to the top of the path, over the waterfall, stop, lean on the wooden fence, look and admire the elegant front of the villa, and enjoy the wine.

Welcome to Italy.

P.S. The romantic garden of Villa Belgiojoso closes at 7 pm, but the kiosk closes at 5.30 pm. You can find other bars on the nearby corso Venezia. 

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.

Past and present "starchitects"

The 52nd edition of Milano Design Week has just closed, but some events of the FuoriSalone 2013 continue. One of the most spectacular is Hybrid Architecture & Design, an exhibition held inside the courtyards and halls of the State University, the so-called Ca' Granda ("Big House").
Hybrid, which will close on April 21st, involves internationally acclaimed architects and designers, who have created site-specific works.
While visiting the exhibition, don't forget to look at the "container" sorrounding the installations. The ancient building, which today hosts the State University, is in fact the largest community hospital of the Renaissance. It was commissioned by the duke Francesco Sforza and designed by the "starchitect" of the time, Antonio Filarete (whose name is also connected with the Sforza Castle).
If you want to know all the secrets of the Ca' Granda, join our guided tour "The plague", every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurday at 9.30 am. No booking is required: just be at the meeting point in piazza Fontana, next to the fountain.
The building, which was heavily damaged during the Second World War, has been rebuilt so as to maintain its primitive structure, which reflects the innovations of Filarete. Centuries before "hygiene" became standard practice, the Florentine architect enriched his projects with amazing details that will surprise you.