Milan doesn’t close down for August.

Milan as a lively and increasingly international city has a rich and varied offer, which in July recorded an increase in tourists (plus 6 per cent with almost a million tourists in July, 31- and 45-year-olds in the lead) and a greater turnout in the civic museums (plus 3 per cent) compared to July 2018.

Cinemas, theatres and music, museums and exhibition venues –exceptionally open and often free – will offer visitors collections and exhibitions of ancient, modern and contemporary art.

Milan’s Palazzo Reale and the Contemporary Art Pavilion of Milan (PAC) will remain open, with a cultural offer ranging from the great Pre-Raphaelite exhibition, realized in collaboration with Tate Britain, to the contemporary art exhibitions of Nanda Vigo, Ugo Nespolo and Guido Pajetta (free of charge at the Royal Palace) and the personal exhibition of Anna Maria Majolino at the PAC. The Mudec Museum of Cultures is also open, with exhibitions dedicated to Roy Lichtestein and Liu Bolin.

Exceptionally, all the civic museums will be open for the 15 August Ferragosto holiday, from the Castello Sforzesco to the Museo del Risorgimento, from the Gallery of Modern Art (GAM) to the Museum of Natural History, from the Archaeological Museum to Palazzo Morando.The Museo del Novecento will also remain open on Monday afternoons.

After 60 shows with over 25,000 visitors so far and many sold out, the Estate sforzesca programme continues at Milan’s central castle (pictured). Thursday 15 August will star a free fireworks display and a concert with the Milan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ruben Jais in the castle’s Cortile delle Armi, withvideo projections by the Antimatter Studio. The orchestra will perform some best-loved symphonic pieces by Stravinsky, Händel and Tchaikovsky.

On Sunday 18 August the Milan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Enrico Fagone will lead an exploration of the "Two Americas", of the south and the north, with the music of Bizet, Manuel de Falla, Arturo Márquez and Leonard Bernstein.

The Sforza Estate continues until 25 August; the completeprogram is on the site www.yesmilano.it.

On Thursday 15 August the Orchestra Theresia – an international orchestra composed of musicians under 30 from the most important European schools of music – will perform music by Kraus and Haydn in the church of Santa Maria della Passione. The complete programme of the Milan art and music festival is on www.milanoartemusica.it.

Open-air screenings the traditional three locations – Palazzo Reale, Chiostro dell'Umanitaria and Chiostro dell'Incoronata –also propose a different film in each venue every evening, with previews, like L'ourour flou – how to separate and remain friends by and with R. Bohringe and premières like A family on the carpet by S. Merchant. Catch the complete program on www.spaziocinema.info.