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City guide

Milan

Italy

Milan has two faces: the fashion capital rushing to work, and an Italian city where bambini are welcomed everywhere like heroes. With a historic French lycée, family-friendly trattorias and the lakes under an hour away, expat life here tastes of dolce vita.

Currency
Euro (€)
Language
Italian
Time vs Paris
None
Emergencies
112

FIAFE network

The Accueil for French-speaking families

In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.

Milan Accueil

Since 1979

Since 1979, Milan Accueil has brought together the French speakers of Milan: welcome coffees, Bol d'air outings to the lakes, language and cooking workshops, and the TamTam, the association's magazine.

Where to meet them

Wednesdays 9am to 12pm at the association's office (Viale Ranzoni 17, De Angeli metro), outside Lycée Stendhal school holidays.

Visit the association's website Email the association See the FIAFE page

What they offer

  • Welcome coffees and back-to-school events
  • Bol d'air outings: lakes and villages of northern Italy
  • Workshops: languages, gastronomy, crafts, well-being
  • The TamTam, the association's magazine

Other support networks

Two large national networks also support the French abroad, each with its local chapter.

  • UFE

    UFE Italie du Nord

    The Union des Français de l'Étranger chapter for northern Italy, based in Milan: welcome, mutual aid and conviviality for the French in Lombardy.

    Visit the website
  • Français du monde – ADFE

    Français du monde – ADFE Lombardie

    The Lombardy section of Français du monde - ADFE supports French residents of Milan and its region with their paperwork.

    Email the chapter

The French business network

The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.

CCI France International

CCI France Italie

The Franco-Italian chamber, headquartered in Milan, is the leading business network between the two countries: events, introductions and practical help to find a job or set up in Italy.

Visit the website CCI country page

AEFE network

Accredited French schools

Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.

💰 Compare school fees

Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr

Tutoring and private lessons

To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.

  • Axiom Academic

    Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.

    Discover Axiom Academic

  • IB Tutor

    Tutors specialised in the International Baccalaureate: online lessons in every IB subject, to aim for top grades from MYP to the diploma.

    Discover IB Tutor

Schools and education

The Lycée Stendhal, directly managed by the AEFE in the San Siro district, is Milan's only homologated French school: 1,200 pupils from nursery to final year. Around it, free Italian state school and a dense international offer.

Good to know

  • Stendhal is the only accredited French lycée in northern Italy: apply as soon as the move is confirmed.
  • Italian state school is free and takes children from age 3 at the scuola dell'infanzia: gentle immersion for little ones.
  • At primary level, the tempo pieno (full day until 4:30pm, lunch included) makes life easier for working parents.
  • Milan is full of international schools (IB, English-speaking): real alternatives, at a significant budget.

Children's healthcare

Italian healthcare runs on the SSN, the national health service: once the family is registered with the local ASL, every child is entitled to a free family paediatrician. Many families add private care for speed.

Good to know

  • First step: register with the SSN at the local ASL, which issues everyone's tessera sanitaria.
  • The pediatra di libera scelta follows children for free up to age 14.
  • For quick appointments, private polyclinics help a lot; check your expat coverage.
  • 112 is the emergency number; the Buzzi children's hospital is the city's paediatric reference.

French-speaking community

Milan's French community gravitates around San Siro and De Angeli, in the wake of the Lycée Stendhal. Milan Accueil has animated it since 1979, supported by UFE Italie du Nord and Français du monde Lombardie.

Good to know

  • Milan Accueil (FIAFE network) holds its weekly drop-in on Wednesday mornings, steps from the lycée.
  • San Siro, De Angeli and Wagner concentrate the French families, a scooter ride from the Stendhal.
  • The Institut français in Milan, at Palazzo delle Stelline, keeps the cultural link alive: cinema, library, classes.
  • Paris is a 1h30 flight away, and a direct train links the two cities: grandparents visit often.

Family outings and events

Milan works wonderfully at child height: hands-on museums, a castle in the city centre, gelato rewards and the lakes for weekends.

Good to know

  • The Leonardo da Vinci science museum, Italy's largest, hides a real submarine and kids' workshops.
  • The MUBA children's museum gets ages 2 to 11 playing at the Rotonda della Besana.
  • Sempione park and the Sforza castle form the great playground of the city centre.
  • Como, Maggiore, Garda: the lakes are under an hour by train for the weekend escape.

These landmarks change fast: the MumExpat community will keep them up to date.

Coming soon: the full Milan guide.

Verified addresses, paediatricians recommended by mums, a family agenda updated every week. Join the waitlist to discover the Milan page first.

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