City Design Guide: Milan
Every April, Milan hosts the biggest trade fair of its kind in the world – responsible for 10 per cent of the country's GDP. Here's a small guide to the City of Design.
It would be impossible to provide a comprehensive guide to Milan, so stuffed is it with wonderful galleries, incredible shops, cafés, museums, bars and palazzi – most of which you can discover yourself. But I have been lucky enough to visit a few times and these are the things I always recommend to the first-time visitor. It’s a drop in the ocean, sure, but what a drop. I once spent an entire afternoon simply wandering in and out of designer stores – not for the shopping, but to cast an eye over the incredible designs of the shops themselves. So, here are the 10 things I would do if I was there for the weekend. These are not in order, by the way.
1 FONDAZIONE PRADA AND BAR LUCE
Dedicated to contemporary art and culture, this is now a must-see for visitors to the city, not least for a glimpse of the fabulous gold tower, but also for the famous Bar Luce, designed by the film director Wes Anderson. Come for the gold, stay for the art, finish with a pistacchio ice cream and a game of Steve Zissou-themed pinball.
2 THE CAMPARI BAR IN VITTORIO EMMANUELE AND PRADA
Just by the Duomo, of which more later, you will see the entrance to the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II – itself a major landmark and the oldest shopping mall in Italy. Just walking around it is a treat for the eyes. Once inside, do visit Prada and go downstairs, past the paintings on the wall and the vintage luggage, into the vaulted cellar of the building – where the famous bags sit in glorious glass display cases, and with no view of the reality outside, you can, just for a moment, convince yourself that this is your world.
When you’ve finished that, you’ll need a drink. So stop at the Camparino (Campari Bar) right by the entrance. There is an upstairs room if the ground floor terrace is full, although it’s a little less fun for people watching. The snacks served with your aperitivi (a feature of any good bar in Italy) are amazing – and lunch here, while pricey, is also delicious.
You can see from my picture that I was there in the time of Covid. I have been again since, but didn’t get such a clean shot of the bar so I’m using this one.
Designed by Piero Portaluppi for the Necchi family (makers of sewing machines), the house has featured in numerous films and inspired countless designers and architects since it was completed in 1935.
For my part it was the radiator covers that I loved most. I appreciate that’s mundane, but the eye catches what the eye catches. I’m not a fan of the wooden fretwork radiator covers you find so often, which seem to take inspiration from Morocco and are basically completely inappropriate for every house I’ve ever seen them in. Here, Portaluppi created brass curtains, which look great and presumably conduct the heat far better than wooden screens. I’ve seen fixed brass screens in Italian country restaurants, too, and if I was in the business of covering my radiators this is how I would do it. You can just seen them behind the green sofa in the image above.
If you can book a tour guide then do, as the history of the house is fascinating and you get to see the silk scarves designed for one of the Necchi daughters by Christian Dior, as well as their built-in wardrobes and the divine wooden kitchen. I was so busy looking I hardly took any pictures which is a good sign of being in the moment but bad for sharing with you. Ah well, you’ll just have to visit.
Milan is full of great shops, but for a bit of colour and joy you must stop by LaDoubleJ. Founded by JJ Martin in 2015 as a magazine, the company has expanded to include original fashion and homewares. It’s all gorgeous and even I, a diehard trouser wearer, find myself fantasising about her dresses. If clothes aren’t your thing, then there are plenty of divine homewares and, at entry level (me) a fabulous coffee table book.
Downstairs in the Milan store is this wonderful space – check the paper bats light fitting – where there are weekly yoga classes. The sofa is by Saba, I have never wanted a sofa more.
My first post on this site was about my visit to the private home of Fornasetti and while the house might not be generally open to the public, the shop is very much worth a visit. Spread over three floors, from the serpent winding its way up the glass steps, to the rooms that are decorated in his signature style of practical madness, it’s a feast for the eyes – although it might give your wallet indigestion.
6 THE ROOFTOP AT THE DUOMO OR COFFEE AT RINASCENTE
One of the most recognisable cathedrals in the world. But did you know that you can walk round the roof of the Duomo, among life-size statues who gaze down on the crowds below? I have never been inside the cathedral itself as there’s always a queue, but I have been up to the roof a couple of times. And if you don’t fancy that you can ascend to the to the terrace café and restaurant on the seventh floor of the Rinascente department store opposite (take your time on the other six floors), where there’s a tremendous view of the Duomo. The price of the coffee does, however reflect the view. Incidentally, Giorgio Armani began his career here as a window dresser.
It’s always a treat to dine here, whether you choose the classic saffron-flavoured risotto emblematic of the city’s cuisine, the chicken Milanese (breadcrumbed), or anything else on the extensive menu. The decor looks like it hasn’t changed since it was opened in 1880 and it probably hasn’t.
8 THE NAVIGLI DISTRICT
If you are here on the last Sunday of the month you can stroll along the 2km long antique/flea market that runs beside the city’s canal district. On any other day, it’s a charming waterside stroll with bookshops, cafés and numerous photogenic alleys and buildings. It does get crowded at the weekend, so if you can, go on a weekday – especially if you fancy a drink at Bar 43, the word’s smallest cocktail bar (you’ll need to book in advance). That’s on my list for next time I’m in the area, but just a wander round this part of the city really is lovely.
9 BRERA DESIGN DISTRICT OR THE FASHION QUARTER
Milan is home to both the furniture design industry and the fashion crowd, so if time is limited you can pick where you want to wander. Brera is small boutiques, cobbled streets and old Milan. Try the Moleskine café for good coffee and space to write in beautiful notebooks, or stroll up and down the Via Fiori Chiari, the main street, which holds a craft market on third Sunday of the month. And I’ve come across vintage markets on other days as well but never had the presence of mind to check the regularity.
For fashion, head for Via Monte Napoleone and Villa della Spiga. This is where you will spot the glamorous older ladies of Milan profiled on the @sciuraglam Instagram account. One afternoon, as Kat Burroughs of The Sunday Times pottered about admiring Cristina Celestino’s designs at Sergio Rossi, a group of these extraordinarily dressed women came into the store. Not one of them was under 70, the heels were vertiginous, the dogs bag-sized and the shop assistants rushed over to fluff cushions and pour champagne.
I’m not sure if they were there to shop or just hang out. It’s also worth noting that these stores make beautiful window displays (see Armani at the top) so if nothing else it’s a beautiful place for a walk and, if you dare go in, some great interior design inspiration. I’d still love to find some lights like these in Sergio Rossi.
On a trip to Milan in 2022 we stayed here for one night. It was about five minutes from the main train station, which is worth a look in its own right (the Italians give good station) and it was so unlike anywhere we have stayed before or since. My 23-year-old would have happily stayed for a week, just lying on the sofa and reading.
I was taken by the idea of using a wardrobe to store all the kitchen crockery and have done something similar at my own house in Italy. Milan is a city full of hotels, so I won’t list those, although I have also stayed in The Yard (now Aethos), which was, when I stayed, very pretty and handily located for the Navigli district.
I hope that’s given you some ideas for your own visit. Like all great cities, you can visit a hundred times and always find something new, but these are my highlights.
Terrific article Kate. Makes you want to book a flight and hotel room right away!
If you want to view the Last Supper, you have to book months in advance.
Avoid April when the price of Hotel rooms can double because the Furniture exhibition is on.
Metro tickets cost about €2 and are valid for 90 minutes and can be used on trams and buses too. Buy a few in advance from a tobacconist so you have them in your pocket when you need them.
Many local shops still close for lunch between 12.30pm and 3.30pm and cash is often the preferred method of payment in smaller shops and restaurants.
Last tip. Travel with a refillable water bottle. You can replenish it at any of the city’s 500 water fountains.
I just had the most lovely day in Milan, all thanks to this guide. This is such a great list of things to see and do -- thank you!