Milan's New Bocce Craze: BASE Milano Opens a Bocciofila with Aperitivo & Late Nights All August

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BASE Milano has unveiled a neighbourhood-inspired indoor bocce court — La Bocciofila — staying open throughout August with concerts, DJ sets, karaoke, dance classes, a panoramic rooftop terrace, and a bistro serving everything from aperitivo to late-night bites.

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Don't believe the myth that Milan shuts down in August. One venue has become a go-to destination for those who stay in the city during its hottest month: BASE Milano. This summer, it's staying open once again and doubling down with a packed programme of events, music and activities designed to experience the city differently. The headline addition is La Bocciofila — a project that brings the beloved Italian game of bocce into the former Ansaldo factory, transforming it into a reason to gather. It sits alongside the terrace, the bistro and a calendar that runs all the way into September.

What Is BASE Milano?

In the heart of the Tortona district, inside the repurposed Ansaldo industrial complex, BASE is far more than a cultural centre. Over the past decade it has hosted exhibitions, concerts, festivals, DJ sets, coworking spaces, artist residencies, talks and projects dedicated to contemporary creativity. By day, people work, meet or grab a coffee here; by night, the spaces transform, filling with music, performances and events open to the entire city. This year, a bocce court joins the mix — yet another demonstration of BASE's ability to reinterpret traditional ideas and spaces.

La Bocciofila at BASE Milano

The summer's headline act is La Bocciofila, designed by AUT, Studio GISTO and Hypereden. Inside the Ground Hall, they've built a proper indoor bocce court with wooden rails, scoreboards and neon lighting, inspired by the historic neighbourhood bocce clubs that welcome players of all ages. But playing bocce is just the pretext — La Bocciofila really invites everyone to pause, meet people, challenge friends and strangers over aperitivo and beyond. The August programme built around the court features open dance classes, group karaoke, stand-up comedy, emerging artist concerts, DJ sets and ballroom dancing nights.

In a Milan that has increasingly questioned the shortage of accessible, informal gathering spaces, BASE has chosen the opposite path. While August sees many venues pulling down their shutters and the city emptying out, BASE stays open, turning free time into an opportunity to connect — a simple, spontaneous, cross-generational social life built around games, conversation, aperitivo, music and late nights.

From Aperitivo to After-Dinner: The Bistro & Rooftop Terrace

Visitors to BASE can also stay for food and drinks. The ground-floor bistro, adjacent to La Bocciofila, serves a light, simple menu and stays open all day for lunch, dinner or pre-event aperitivo. Dishes include: maccheroncini with mussels, courgettes, saffron and courgette flowers (€16), rice salad (€13), Pasta Felicia with basil pesto (€13), plus salads (€11-13), salmon tartare (€16), and boiled eggs with yogurt, fennel, chives and confit cherry tomatoes (€11).

Then there's the terrace — one of Tortona's most delightful corners on summer evenings: a suspended garden above the former Ansaldo factory serving cocktails (€10-12), wine and beer alongside sharing plates like mixed charcuterie boards (€15), Margherita pizza (€6), and mixed baskets of cured meats, fruit, taralli crackers, tomatoes and cheese (€22), all while the sun sets over Milan's rooftops. It's a concept that reclaims one of Italian culture's most beloved institutions — the neighbourhood bocciofila — and reimagines it, proving that creating spaces to gather doesn't require complicated formulas — just open, inclusive places that people can live in every day.