As Milan prepares to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we look ahead to the seasonal sporting showpiece with Fiorenza Lipparini, Director General of official destination management organisation (DMO) Milano & Partners, whose YesMilano brand promotes a dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable city.
Q&A WITH MILANO & PARTNERS
Firstly, can you introduce us to YesMilano as a brand of the city’s official DMO, Milano & Partners?
Fiorenza Lipparini, Director General (FL): Milano & Partners was born in 2019 as a joint initiative between the Municipality of Milan and the Chamber of Commerce of Milano Monza Brianza Lodi.
It’s a public-private partnership to increase the attractiveness of Milan on three fronts – talent, investment, and tourism.
We use the YesMilano brand to promote a dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable city, built around knowledge and culture, which is capable of welcoming and supporting the curiosity and creativity of younger generations locally and globally.
In our latest campaign, ‘Leonardo and Milano’, in conjunction with the Italian Ministry of Culture, we tried to reach a younger demographic with video clips and manga comics and fix in the mind of the world that Milan is where Leonardo did his most important work and spent two decades at the height of his creative talent.
The campaign also travelled to Expo 2025 in Osaka and got great exposure in many tourism markets in North America and the EU.
As for sustainability, the YesMilano City Pass, launched in 2024, has proved very popular and promotes sustainable tourism by packaging complete access to the metro and tram system and visits to monuments and museums in a single digital pass.
Through YesMilano, how has Milano & Partners promoted Milan internationally?
FL: Milano & Partners and its divisions, like the International Student Desk, Convention Bureau, and FDI Unit, are present at the major DMO and tourism fairs around the world.
Milan’s current positioning is that of a city of knowledge and culture that intends to attract foreign students and international expats whilst continuing to be the European city of sophistication and style.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has consistently promoted the various neighbourhoods of Milan, narrating their identities and pointing out their cultural hotspots, particularly in the districts where the young congregate such as Navigli, Isola, NoLo, and Porta Romana, where the Olympic Village is located.
Milan is hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. What do attendees have to look forward to at Milano Cortina 2026?
FL: First of all, a fabulous opening ceremony at the San Siro Stadium on 6th February.
There will also be beautiful skating at Fiera Milano and fierce hockey with the best teams of the world at the brand-new Arena Milano, designed by David Chipperfield Architects and Arup.
Thirdly, we are organising myriad initiatives across the city with our partners and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne for the Cultural Olympiad.
As a catalyst for development and change, how is Milano Cortina 2026 promoting sustainable tourism?
FL: The upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games are the first designed with sustainability in mind from day one – from the facilities to the actual unfolding of the sporting competitions surrounded by enraptured spectators.
Everything has been done to minimise carbon emissions and environmental impact and maximise circularity and recycling during Milano Cortina 2026. This also involves the alpine resorts of Bormio and Livigno in Lombardy and ski locations in Trento and Southern Tyrol.
“The upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games are the first designed with sustainability in mind from day one – from the facilities to the actual unfolding of the sporting competitions surrounded by enraptured spectators”
Fiorenza Lipparini, Director General, Milano & Partners
Why else is 2026 the year to visit Milan?
FL: In April, we’ll have another record-shattering Milano Design Week, bringing thousands of cosmopolitan designers, curious visitors, and students of design to the Salone del Mobile.Milano, as well as the hundreds of events, exhibits, and presentations that are traditionally organised in all the districts of the city.
What other must-see attractions and events in Milan would you recommend to visitors?
FL: The Grande Brera with Palazzo Citterio for modern art, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology, and the Poldi Pezzoli Museum for its precious Renaissance artifacts.
I personally dig Fondazione Luigi Rovati with its eclectic mix of Etruscan relics, modern collections, and great cuisine. It’s also near Porta Venezia, the rainbow neighbourhood of Milan.
Finally, are you optimistic about the future of the tourism industry in Milan?
FL: Absolutely, there is room for growth. Even our greatest attraction, Duomo di Milano, remains underappreciated abroad.
Visits to Milan have been increasing steadily and we’ll be reaching 10 million tourists this year. The challenge is to continue to attract lifestyle and luxury tourism whilst remaining meaningful to young students and creatives and speeding ahead in convention tourism and trade fairs.
We want people to stay here beyond the two-night visit, which is currently the standard. Milan is unique in the sense that you can do your working and shopping whilst enjoying a great cultural experience, which often includes a legendary Milanese aperitivo.
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