Cut to me sleepless in the Copenhagen airport gnawing on a bastardized morning bun, unsure if I was actually hungry or just in need of an activity to maintain consciousness until my flight boarded. This time, the sleep deprivation was self-inflicted - I knew what time my alarm was set and yet declined to leave the club I’d found myself in the night prior (how I came across a club in Copenhagen is another story entirely).
I was heading to Milan after a few weeks working from and living out my Scandi summer dream in CPH, and indeed it was a dream up to this (deeply, darkly) fatigued moment. So there I was at my gate, catatonic and radiating in the orange glow of the EasyJet sign - equally devastated to leave and ready for the next leg of my pseudo-sabbatical.
I’d never been to Milan, but every year I drool at my Instagram feed as hoards of editors, designers, and chic, connected people post from Salone del Mobile (Milan Design Week). The exhibitions close at the event’s conclusion but the setting - the gorgeous homes, shops, and streets of Milan remain - and they called to me!
My curiosity had also been piqued by friends’ conflicting reviews of the city - chic, industrial, quirky, boring, grungy, pristine. This is not your universally revered movie-set of an Italian destination. I had to see for myself.
Indeed, Milan is a bona fide cosmopolitan city the likes of Madrid or London - a banking, publishing, and fashion capital. It’s architecturally beautiful, albeit a little grungy - as any proper city should be - bustling, culturally rich and best of all - lived in. Milan, unlike some of her fellow Italian destinations of note, has so far been spared from the rampant overtourism that has unfortunately come to define places like Venice, Amalfi, et al.
For reasons you’ll see below, I thoroughly enjoyed the place.
This was a quick trip, a stopover to meet up with my mom ahead of a yoga retreat in Sicily (the incredible privilege in every syllable of this sentence is not lost on me). Here are my favorite things we squeezed into 72 glorious hours. Ciao bella.
Culture
Even for a well-rested, responsible adult, the breadth of Milan’s cultural activities would feel overwhelming. I’ll spare you the full Rick Steve’s rundown but I must note the city’s history dates back thousands of years to the Celtics. It’s been the capital of the Western Roman Empire, a central hub of the Renaissance and the site of a Napoleon coronation - this, all before we even get to the rise of Italian fascism in the 20th century. She’s seen some sh*t. Today, Milan is a fashion powerhouse - Prada, Miu Miu, Bottega, Versace, Dolce & Gabanna - all headquartered there. Chic.
Villa Necchi Campiglio - gorgeous mid-century modern house completed by the architect Piero Portaluppi in 1935. Portaluppi designed over 100 buildings in Milan during the fascist period. Mussolini, while not great for humanity, was cozy with the Italian Industrial class, resulting in an era of unprecedented building. As per T mag, “Fascism proved cataclysmic for Italy’s economy and its soul, but it was excellent for its architecture.”
Fondazione Prada - absolutely stunning (!!!) contemporary art museum founded by Miuccia Prada (yes, that Prada). The museum ticket also grants you access to another little gallery, the Osservatorio, which is at the top of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (landmark ‘shopping gallery’ right next to the Duomo). Also worth noting - the cafe at the museum, Bar Luce, is very much worth a visit - it was designed by none other than Wes Anderson.
Duomo di Milano - Milan’s defining landmark - just your average, everyday enormous marble cathedral that took almost 600 years to build (construction started in 1386 and ended in 1965). You can tour the inside and walk the rooftop. Bellissimo.
Editor’s note: Julie (my perfect mom!!) wanted to see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper and virtually the only way to do so is via guided tour. While humbling to behold a literal masterpiece, the hassle and time involved with the tour make it hard for me to recommend full-throatedly.
Drink
The land of aperitif dreams. Here’s a list of perfect places to procure all the Campari, espresso and vino your heart desires. Saluti.
Bar Basso - per their website “A truly cult bar for sophisticated drinking devotees.” I am nothing if not that, so suffice to say I loved the place. Open since 1948, they claim to have invented the Negroni Spagliotto and who am I to question?! It comes to you in a goblet that hits the blood stream hard. I came on my solo day before Julie arrived and looked hot and mysterious at a table outside.
Bar Nico - sucker for a good wine bar. One of the owners of Bar Nico previously worked for Sunnei, a v cool Milanese fashion label, and as I say - cool begets cool, so of course this place is a vibe.
Bar Quadronno - another classic, open since 1964, this is technically a panino bar (sandwich shop - and please for the love of God get a panini here!), but it’s also an espresso bar and a place to grab an aperitif. A perfect place, really. Also, per his Instagram stories, apparently a favorite of Matthieu Blazy (formerly Creative Director at Bottega though he just announced his move to Chanel).
Eat
I love to dine any place, any time but Italy is my favorite place in the world to eat. Fortunately for me, and anyone else with tastebuds, Milan has a gooorgeous restaurant scene. Below I give you a trendy, a traditional and what I’m calling a ‘down-home’ spot to cover all your bases.
Nebbia - vibey, trendy, sceney - known for a very aesthetic chicken liver mousse toast if that tells you anything (though, for the record, it was very good).
Rovello 18 - more traditional Italian, family-owned spot in the chic Brera design district. Everything was so good - pasta, meat, dessert, wine. The staff was particularly lovely.
Trattoria Madonnina - only took me four trips to Italy to grok that a trattoria is more casual (and cheaper) than a ristorante. Come to this one to get your bright yellow bowl of risotto Milanese - a famous Milanese dish that’s effectively a big bowl of creamy saffron risotto. While ‘down-home’ hardly feels like a term you can justly apply to a restaurant in a major European city - that was the vibe I clocked and I’m sticking to it.
Shop
As noted, Milan is an international fashion hub, so naturally it’s an incredible place to shop. Similar to the restaurants and bars - Milan’s shopping opportunities have range. Here’s a local fashion label flagship, a vintage treasure, and a compound of a concept store. Scratching the surface here, consider this a taste.
Sunnei - relative to the Pradas and Bottegas of the world, this is a new-er (10 year old) very colorful, playful, funky, fabulous Milanese fashion label. It started as menswear but expanded to women’s in 2019. I believe they’re opening (or just opened?) a new flagship too - sure to be a scene.
Sous vintage shop - so. much. vintage. in. Milan. Prices range but this place was very reasonable and really well curated. Cool neighborhood too, Navigli, on the canals - worth a bop.
10 Corso Como - boutique, bookstore, cafe, hotel - 10 Corso Como is a damn compound. The boutique is stocked with brands I admire but generally can’t afford (Alaia, B sides, Sophie Buhai type beat) but the cafe is fab. If you’re not in the market for $900 mesh flats, treat yourself to a spritz. I’ll meet you at the bar.
Stay
I don’t have to tell you that traveling absolutely anywhere is a privilege (!) but I’m especially grateful for the ease of traveling to big European cities. Tap to pay public transportation made it a breeze to take the train or trolleys anywhere and reasonable hotels abound.
We stayed in the sweetest little hotel in the Navigli district, a cool neighborhood south of the city center on the canals. The area is lined with vintage shops, bookstores, cafes - you know the vibe. If you’re in the market for something swanky CNT just published a list of the ‘Best Hotels in Milan in 2025’ - do you!
Ciaooo Milano! A gem of a city I got to experience with my gem of a mom.
Lucky, lucky, lucky me.
More soon xX
buying my ticket rn.. love your brain