The story opens in the evening, in the festively dressed lanes of Brera, where a young man is waiting for a young woman. Her arrival is announced by a playfully thrown snowball which triggers a chase taking the two through some of the most evocative places in Milano.

The first stop is Bar Brera, one of the many aperitif places in the city. Before you cross the door’s threshold, however, look around. You are in Milano’s art district which has just unveiled a new cultural gem: by inaugurating long-awited Palazzo Citterio, "Greater Brera" is born, doubling the exhibition space of the Pinacoteca to dazzle visitors with its modern collections.

You open another door, and you find yourself inside La Scala, one of the most famous theaters in the world. A temple of opera, ballet and music, this is where some the world’s most famous operas premiered, such as Verdi's Nabucco and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

Every year, on 7 December, the day of St. Ambrose patron saint of the Milanese, the Scala opens the season with its breath-taking Prima (the opening night), an event that resonates across entire city: no one wants to miss the chance to watch it, even if from afar, thanks to the giant screens of Prima Diffusa scattered across the city. This year, it’s Giuseppe Verdi and his La Forza del destino that will enthrall the lovers of melodrama in the city and around the world-

Another traditional Christmas classic? Panettone, the cake all of Italy eats at Christmas lunch. It is impossible to resist its rich and sweet chewiness, as demonstrated by the girl who stops her run in a pastry shop of none other than Iginio Massari, the master pâtissier.

In the meantime, the city’s patisseries are already at work to outcompete each other in making the perfectly fragrant panettone, the undisputed protagonist of a Milano Christimas.

If you are looking for brain candy, Fondazione Prada is where you can daydream in peace and space out without fear. Immerse yourself immersed in the topsy-turvy world of Carsten Höller. The famous upside-down mushrooms of the German artist, are one of the many reasons to reach this outpost of contemporary visual arts south of Porta Romana. Until February 24, 2025, you can visit For My Best Family, the new exhibit conceived by artist Meriem Bennani, while the Cinema Godard movie theater presents a program of art film screenings every month, mostly in original language, and you can always sit for a coffee in the 1950s style bar designed by Wes Anderson.

In short, people come to Fondazione Prada to experiment with culture and look to the future of the city: right across the street the Olympic village of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games is being built. It is set to host the world’s best skiers, skaters, snowboarders and hockey players.

Milano is the Italian image of Christmas because you can find any gift you want. If it’s new and cool, it’s first tried and tested in Milano. The Milanese are always attentive to emerging trends and innovative products. It's not so much a question of "being fashionable", but of creating your own style and express yourself freely through your look. The options for shopping are countless.

Check out what you’re in the mood for and off you go! Destination Via Montenapoleone and the Fashion District for luxury brands and sleekest stylists, or Porta Ticinese and the Viale Papiniano market (Saturdays) for vintage clothing and discarded fashion items. In the alternative neighborhoods of Isola, Nolo and Porta Venezia you can find emerging designers’ ateliers or artisans’ workshops.

It’s in a store in the city center that the two protagonists of the Christmas video clip meet an exceptional testimonial, Carolina Kostner, who wears a Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic sweatshirt. Not a coincidental reference, given she is a medal winner... February 6, 2025 will mark the -1 year countdown from the opening ceremony of the Winter Games.

Among the places that appear during the chase, there is also the Stelvio with its slopes and snow-capped peaks, to remind us that the Alps are just a short drive away, with Bormio and Livigno getting ready to host the ski competitions of the Winter Olympics of Milano Cortina 2026. Come and discover them before anyone else does.

The two jewels of Valtellina, nestled in the Alps north of Milano, offer immaculate pistes and a rich program of wellness and gastronomy experiences. You can do Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing, and there is an international snow park where you can do acrobatics, relax at the spa and drink excellent wine, living the Italian lifestyle also on the snow.