An all-embracing setting to rediscover the pleasure of gathering and to feel an integral part of civil society.

In this spirit, the second edition of Agorà della cultura offers a series of talks dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, exploring mythology, history, and imagination.

Three events which aim to redifine sports through a social and cultural perspective, reflecting its profound transformation: from its ancient Greek roots to the Olympic seasons that have marked the history of the country, from the birth of the Paralympic Games to the literary reflection of winter sports.

From both academic and professional fields, two expert guests per appointment hold open conversations moderated by Silvia Romani, Professor of Mythology, Religion and Anthropology of the Classical World at Università degli Studi di Milano.

The events, organized in collaboration with Esselunga “Partner of Milano Cortina 2026” and hosted in the new spaces of Studio Esse at Casa Esselunga in the Cortile delle Armi of Castello Sforzesco, are part of the official schedule of the Cultural Olympiad of Milano Cortina 2026 and of Il Piccolo per Milano Cortina 2026.

THE PROGRAM

Part of


 

In collaboration with
 


“Partner of Milano Cortina 2026”

In the occasion of Milano Cortina 2026, a month of special programming to celebrate the union of sport, culture, and performance.

Two are the performances that have been chosen for our international audience: SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW, on stage at Teatro Strehler and presented in a special “Olympic version” created specially for the occasion; while at Teatro Studio Melato, First Love offers a narration that combines sport, identity, and memory.

To complete the program, a series of three events in di Agorà della cultura – Il teatro dello sport, our all-embracing setting to explore the theme of the Olympics and the Paralympics from different perspectives, and an evening of readings dedicated to sports and the Olympic world with Lino Guanciale.

 

* Studio Esse at Casa Esselunga can be found in the Cortile delle Armi, Castello Sforzesco
 

Part of


 

The Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa, the first Italian public theatre, is located in the heart of Milan. It was founded on 14 May 1947, when, in the aftermath of the war, the city was seeking out new spaces for culture and renascence.
 

This adventure was set in motion by three great figures: the director Giorgio Strehler, the organiser Paolo Grassi, and Nina Vinchi, who passionately handled the administrative side.

From the very beginning, Piccolo was much more than a theatre: we were a place of encounter and community, true to our motto “An Art Theatre for Everyone”. Over our almost 80 years of activity, we have produced more than 450 shows, from the great classics of European theatre to new dramaturgy, with productions that have become part of history the world over.
 

We have hosted and produced works by the greatest international directors and performers, gaining a standing as a global stage. Today, we continue to strengthen our European vocation, developing new networks and projects shared with the leading international theatres.

Today, the Piccolo is not only a venue for performances but also a permanent cultural laboratory, in constant dialogue with the city and with Europe. Our projects represent a combination of education, research, memory and innovation, carrying forward the ideas of the founders: a theatre at the service of art and of the community.

It is precisely within this framework of openness, experimentation, and international exchange that our major cultural initiatives take shape. Among them is the Presente Indicativo International Theatre Festival, whose third edition Milano Crocevia, taking place from 14 to 31 May 2026, will be a true “festival of festivals”, hosting shows from the most important European events, exploring stories, artists and communities through tradition and contemporary perspectives. The performances will be accompanied by a programme of encounters with artists, book presentations, concerts and DJ sets, transforming Milan into a great international stage, a point of convergence for cultures and languages.

Plan your visit and get all the useful information below:

HOW TO REACH US

Teatro Grassi
Via Rovello 2, Milan
Tram lines 1, 2, 12, 14, 16, 19 – M1 Metro Station Cordusio, M1 Metro Station Cairoli 

Teatro Strehler
Largo Greppi 1, Milan
Tram lines 2, 4, 12, 14 – Buses 57, 61 – M2 Metro Station Lanza

Scatola Magica c/o Teatro Strehler
Largo Greppi 1, Milan
Tram lines 2, 4, 12, 14 – Buses 57, 61 – M2 Metro Station Lanza

Teatro Studio Melato
Via Rivoli 6, Milan
Tram lines 2, 4, 12, 14 – Buses 57, 61 – M2 Metro Station Lanza

Chiostro Nina Vinchi
Via Rovello 2, Milan
Tram lines 1, 2, 12, 14, 16, 19 – M1 Metro Station Cordusio, M1 Metro Station Cairoli

WHERE AND HOW TO PURCHASE

On-line on piccoloteatro.org
It is possible to purchase subscriptions, and full-price or discounted tickets. 
Tickets can be purchased up to one hour before the beginning of scheduled performances. 

Teatro Strehler box office
Largo Greppi 1, Milan
From Mondays to Saturdays 12.30PM–6PM
Closed on Sundays and public holidays
Payment can be made by credit card, Bancomat, Carta Cultura Giovani, Carta del Merito and Carta del Docente
The box offices for the three theatres are exclusively for the scheduled performance, from one hour before it is due to begin.

Box office line +39 02 21126116
From Mondays to Saturdays 12.30PM–6PM
Closed on Sundays and public holidays
Payment can be made by credit card, Carta Cultura Giovani, Carta del Merito and Carta del Docente

Purchased tickets cannot be cancelled or substituted or be used for dates or times which differ from those indicated.

PICCOLO OPEN: YOUR EXPERIENCE AT THE PICCOLO, IN ENGLISH

Weekend performances with surtitles
A programme of productions with Italian and English surtitles on selected weekend dates.
Discover all our surtitled performances on the Accessibility page of our website.

English translation for cultural events 
Follow talks, book presentations and Oltre la scena events in English through our dedicated web app: for a selection of events hosted in the conference area of the Chiostro Nina Vinchi, an automatic translation service is provided in Italian and English, using the Converso® technology. Scan the dedicated QR code to access the translation on your mobile phone – available as subtitles or simultaneous translation through earphones (for this option, the use of personal earphones is required).

English versions of our theatre programmes
Read the theatre programme notes for our productions in English. A card with a QR Code is available in the foyer, providing access to the Edizioni Piccolo Teatro App, which can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store and Google Play.
 

AUDIENCE SERVICES

Each auditorium has a free cloakroom service and a bar.

The Chiostro Nina Vinchi, adjacent to the Teatro Grassi, houses the Piccolo Café & Restaurant, which is open from Mondays to Sundays at the following times: Mondays 8AM-8PM; from Tuesdays to Fridays 8AM-12PM; Saturdays 10AM-12PM; Sundays 10AM-8PM.

The three theatre foyers also each have a small bookshop managed by Libreria Antigone selling the books from our publishing house as well as a selection of books dedicated to the season’s shows (Bancomat and credit card accepted).
 

SPOTLIGHT ON PICCOLO IN THE OUTLOOK TRAVEL GUIDE

Piccolo is featured among the highlights in Outlook Travel Magazine’s Milan Travel Guide. Swipe the pdf below to unfold an essential destination for anyone visiting Milan – not only to attend a play, but also to discover an institution that for almost 80 years has been fulfilling its mission as “An Art Theatre for Everyone”, while keeping its sights firmly set on the future.
 

Forming part of the Piccolo Aperto project supported by Fondazione di Comunità Milano, condiVisioni teatrali is an introductory course to theatrical expression aimed at deaf children and teenagers aged between 12 and 20.
 

Organised with the educators from a.l.f.a. – Associazione Lombarda Famiglie Audiolesi and with the Ufficio promozione pubblico e attività culturali of the Piccolo, the project includes participation in two performances – Quel ladro del Lago di Como and First Love, guided tours of the various areas of the theatre and encounters with artists, accessible through the use of subtitles, the assisted listening system Listen WIFI and Italian sign language interpretation.

The participants are also involved in documentation and presentation activities aimed at fostering joint reflection on the themes of accessibility and contributing to improving the services offered by the theatre.

The encounters and the guided tours are accompanied by automated subtitling in Italian via tablets and are also see the presence of an Italian sign language interpreter.

For information and mandatory reservations, please write to accessibilita@piccoloteatromilano.it.


THE PROGRAMME

The condiVisioni teatrali project has been organised with the contribution of

in collaboration with

A fourth edition of Absolute Beginners – C’è sempre una prima volta (in platea): the project open to all citizens of all ages and backgrounds who have never been to the Piccolo.

For the 2025/26 season, we are opening our doors to a new community of spectators who, for the widest range of reasons, have never had the opportunity to explore behind the stage.

The programme includes the viewing of three shows, either preceded or followed by an encounter with the artists, an exploration of the theatre’s spaces – from the stage to the costume workshop –  and a final moment of exchange.

There are four courses available for new Beginners:

Course #1
Arlecchino servitore di due padroni – Tuesday 29 October 2025 | Teatro Grassi 
Escaped Alone – Thursday 29 January 2026 | Teatro Grassi
Miracolo a Milano – Thursday 5 March 2026 | Teatro Strehler

Course #2
Oltre – Thursday 29 January 2025 | Teatro Studio Melato
Miracolo a Milano – Thursday 5 March 2026 | Teatro Strehler
Resto qui – Thursday 12 March 2026 | Teatro Studio Melato

Course #3
First Love – Thursday 5 February 2026 | Teatro Studio Melato
Miracolo a Milano – Thursday 5 March 2026 | Teatro Strehler
Orgasmo – Thursday 26 March 2026 | Teatro Studio Melato

Course #4
Ritorno a casa – Thursday 12 February 2026 | Teatro Grassi
Miracolo a Milano – Thursday 5 March 2026 | Teatro Strehler
Variazioni sul modello di Kraepelin – Tuesday 31 March 2026 | Teatro Grassi

Absolute Beginners aims to overcome the stereotypes related to access to culture, but above all to demonstrate how the theatre maintains its ability to address the world that surrounds us and to be a vibrant stage for sharing and exchange. A new theatre for a new world to be explored with a gaze that is both aware and restless, for an unforgettable first experience.
 

“Stormi. Traiettorie sulla Stagione” is the monthly magazine created by the editorial team of Stratagemmi – Prospettive Teatrali, composed of a group of students from the Università degli Studi di Milano and illustrated by the pupils of the Scuola del Fumetto.

Now in its fourth edition, the project reflects on the productions and co-productions staged over the course of the season, with a particular focus on the Associated artists for the 2025/27 period. The subject of each issue is represented by pairs of words: conceptual couplings whose relationships help to explain the core meanings of the various productions.
 

The contents of the publications are in Italian.

EDITORIAL TEAM 
Patrizio Agostini, Anna Matilde Brianzoli, Sara Buono, Alessandra Capobianco, Angela Carbonara, Bianca Ceccarelli, Camilla Colangelo, Martina D’Angelo, Chiara Emma, Martina Fais, Matteo Fiorentino, Pietro Gallotti, Sofia Loro, Antonio Nicotra, Carlo Paroli, Zeno Piovesan, Maddalena Politi, Giorgia Rossi, Margherita Sciacco, Sara Maria Trainotti, Livia Valenti, Sofia Zanardi, Marco Zanolini

TRAINING AND EDITING
Maddalena Giovannelli, Alessandro Iachino, Camilla Lietti, Francesca Serrazanetti

LAYOUT Camilla Lietti

SUPERVISION AND COORDINATION
Corrado Rovida | Dramaturg (Piccolo Teatro di Milano) 

EDITORIAL REVIEW
Eleonora Vasta and Joseph Calanca | Publishing Department (Piccolo Teatro di Milano)

GRAPHICS
Leftloft
 

by Giuseppe Montesano

Toni Servillo returns to Dante’s work through the reading by Giuseppe Montesano. In the wake of its international tour, Le voci di Dante comes to Lombardy churches for a series of stagings produced by the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, in collaboration with Agenzia Teatri and with the support of the Fondazione Monte di Lombardia.
 

Is there still any sense in listening to or reading poetry, and a poem that dates back seven centuries, in this period in which violence is constantly bursting up from the depths, threatening to reduce existence to ashes? Before bringing forth the voice that speaks, shouts and whispers Le voci di Dante, we reflected extensively on this question, with no concessions to poetry or the beauty that poetry brings, and the answer was not that yes, poetry still has meaning: rather, it was yes, because in these times, poetry has more meaning than ever. (Giuseppe Montesano)

The initiative brings to the heart of the region the voice of an exceptional actor, who takes on the work of Dante as read by Giuseppe Montesano, exploring its living heritage and projecting it onto the uncertainties of our era, as an amplifier of timeless emotions – love, loss, desire and fear.

The cycle begins in November 2025 at the Basilica di San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, Pavia, which Dante evokes in the tenth canto of Paradise, to then move on to the Cathedrals of Cremona, Brescia and Vigevano, as well as the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore di Bergamo, in the spring, ending on 11 May 2026 at the Milan Duomo.
 

A project created with the support of

THE PROGRAMME

Subscribe and purchase the Presente indicativo - Milano Crocevia Festival shows at a special price.

You can buy your subscription online, at the Teatro Strehler box office or by calling the box office line on +39 02 21126116.

HOW AND WHERE TO PURCHASE

Subscriptions are by name. Subscription vouchers purchased cannot be cancelled or substituted, or be used for dates or times other than those indicated.

Discounted subscriptions for under-35 or over-65 can be purchased by showing a valid form of identification.

Festival 2 and 4 shows subscription do not include the shows of The City of Arrival, Il processo Pelicot and HIT OUT, that are with free admission – participation details are still being defined." 

When you purchase a Festival subscription, you will receive a discount for the Piccolo Café & Restaurant and for the laPiazza Bar, valid from 14 to 30 May.

Are you already a subscriber?

If you have purchased an ORO, Classic or Piccolo <35 subscription for the 2025/26 Season, you can purchase a Festival subscription at a special price online directly from your Personal Area, at the Teatro Strehler box office or by calling the box office line.

The remaining vouchers from the 2025/26 Season subscriptions can be used for the Festival performances.

Teatro dietro l’angolo continues for the third year running. The dual nature training course combines in-depth study of the history of theatre and live entertainment with small theatrical language workshops organised in the various districts of Milan, drawing on a lively exchange between theory and practice.

Open to the entire population of the city and drawing on the involvement of operators, actors and Associate artists at the Piccolo, as well as of the Artistic Director Claudio Longhi, the cycle of lessons and workshops aim to foster a direct dialogue between the stage and people.

Theatre seen as a subject of study and, first and foremost, as an open space for direct debate, helping to develop a shared sense of civil involvement.

The courses held over recent years, which continue with an encounter held by Claudio Longhi and four workshops run by Diana Manea, are now being joined by a new series of eight events taking place between October 2025 and May 2026.
Three workshop events dedicated to theatrical practice (held by Diana Manea) are accompanied by four lessons – which in turn, due to their particular nature, can be considered as veritable lesson-shows – subdivided by theme: from dramaturgy (curated by Davide Carnevali) to theatrical directing (curated by Lisa Ferlazzo Natoli) and dance (curated by Marco D’Agostin), and a focus on the history of the Piccolo (curated by our Promotion Department), in addition to an introductory session (curated by Claudio Longhi).
The lessons and the workshops form a mosaic of perspectives that allow for a more refined view of the performing arts.

The courses are held in Italian.
 

The return for the third season of the format created to forge a new relationship with the theatre and with a way of enjoying entertainment as a social event. Is it possible for those who are not part of the theatrical environment to experience theatre in terms of community, exchange and conviviality?

Aimed at a younger audience willing to stay and chat after the performance, sharing a drink in the foyer of the theatre, the encounters aim to bridge the gap that usually forms between spectators and creators, seeking to bring the theatre ever closer to a diverse, wide-ranging and curious audience. An ideal opportunity to reflect on entertainment together with the figures that create it, and ask artists questions in an informal and welcoming setting. 

THE PROGRAMME:

L’analfabeta
Thursday 30 October 2025 | Teatro Studio Melato

Riccardo III
Tuesday 25 November 2025 | Teatro Strehler

A place of safety
Tuesday 16 December 2025 | Teatro Studio Melato

Escaped Alone
Tuesday 3 February 2026 | Chiostro Nina Vinchi – Piccolo Café & Restaurant

Orlando
Wednesday 18 February 2026 | Teatro Studio Melato

Miracolo a Milano
Thursday 19 March 2026 | Teatro Strehler

Variazioni sul modello di Kraepelin
Tuesday 24 March 2026 | Chiostro Nina Vinchi – Piccolo Café & Restaurant


For information
humandesk@piccoloteatromilano.it