Sforza Castle Events and Exhibitions

The castle is a working cultural centre, not only a museum. Its print, drawing and photography collections put on shows in their own rooms; its curators give lunchtime talks; and every summer the Cortile delle Armi becomes an open-air theatre. These are the dated events from September 2026, and the free days still to come.

Passione Disegno — until 27 September 2026

A show drawn from the castle's Gabinetto dei Disegni, which holds more than 30,000 works on paper from the fifteenth century to the twentieth. It runs from 26 June to 27 September 2026 in the Salette della Grafica. On the walls are sheets by Leonardo da Vinci, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Andrea Appiani, Gaetano Previati, Umberto Boccioni and Keith Haring. The show also tells how the collection grew by gift and bequest from the 1860s. Check the official page for whether a separate ticket applies.

Premio MilanoVetro-35 — until 13 September 2026

The fifth edition of the castle's prize for contemporary glass. The finalists' show runs from 28 May to 13 September 2026 in the Sala Castellana. It holds 33 works chosen from nearly a hundred entries, plus pieces by students from art schools in Brera and Biella. The winners of the first four editions are already in the collection, in room XXXI of the Decorative Arts museum. You can see those on any day with the museum ticket.

Pausa Pranzo in Museo — 9 September to 16 December 2026

Half-hour lunchtime talks, 1pm to 1.30pm, with the curators of the castle's collections and of two other civic museums. Entry is on the normal museum ticket unless a session says otherwise. Book by email to the castle's events office by 3pm on the day before. The full autumn calendar is published as a PDF on the castle's site.

Castello SottoSopra — to 31 December 2026

The castle's concessionaire runs puzzle and guided tours of the ramparts and the underground passage, from 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2026. Tours run Tuesday to Sunday between 11am and 7.30pm. The guided battlement tour goes on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7.30pm, from age eight. The underground covered way runs on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am, from age ten. Two shorter puzzle tours, one on Leonardo and one a murder mystery, fill set afternoons.

Free days for the rest of 2026

Free still means collecting a ticket at the desk or online. On a first Sunday the museum queue is the longest of the month.

Every summer: Estate al Castello

From 12 June to 9 September 2026 the Cortile delle Armi held Estate al Castello. It ran more than forty evenings of music, comedy, talks, theatre and dance on a stage with 2,300 seats. August added 25 free cinema nights. The Comune runs it every summer, so an evening in the courtyard next year is a fair bet, though not yet a dated one.

Quick-reference dates

Where to check before you travel

Two official pages carry everything above, and both are worth a look the week you go rather than the month you book.

• Castello Sforzesco — Comune di Milano: the exhibitions and events list, and the notices page for closures.
• I percorsi segreti del Castello Sforzesco: the rampart and underground tour times.

If your trip is fixed to one of these dates, make your Sforza Castle booking with a tour that refunds up to 24 hours out. A room closing on the day is exactly what that window is for.