Milan - not a trip report
Sep 27th, 2005, 04:56 AM
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Milan - not a trip report
I won't do a day by day trip report, since it would just be too boring, but here are some notes on restaurants and shops;
For lunch (prices always for 2 people):
Salumaio di Montenapoleone; lovely courtyard off the famous shopping street, beautiful weather. Excellent prosciutto/mozarella, bresaola, pasta. 100 Euros including wine and coffee.
Paper Moon, Via Bagutta; very popular place, no reservations (but if you get there before 1 pm you can usually get a table). Great antipasto buffet, and vitello tonnato. 96 including wine and coffee.
Fashion Cafe, Piazza San Marco (Brera); 29 Euro for a large salad and a kind of pizza bread with ham/cheese, some wine and coffee. This is a pleasant place for just a drink too; with comfortable sofas outside and low tables.
Dinner
Boeucc, Piaza Belgoioso. Very classic restaurant, quite formal. The oldest restaurant in Milan. Here we had three courses, wine, and coffee. 150 euro. The seabass was particularly good, as was the tiramisu.
Bice, via Borgospesso. Always busy, and reliable for good food. Great risotto with gorgonzola. Spend 125 for 3 courses and wine.
Shops
Apart from the well-known designers in the area between Montenapoleone, Manzoni and Spiga, I found a great shoe shop in Via Solferino; Bagatt. Very nice shoes and quite reasonable (well, compared to Gucci) at around 100 Euros for a pair of shoes. There were a lot of interesting small shops in this area.
There was also a very nice shop in the Corso Europa, close to Piazza Babila, called Zap. Two floors, and an interesting collection of known and unkown desigers; clothes, shoes and accessories.
General observations;
The locals are just about the best dressed people in the world. I thought the men looked particularly good, in tailored suits (I was only paying attention so that I could tell you what they were wearing!). It doesn't really matter too much though. There was a young Asian guy in the Salumaio di Montenapoleone, wearing shorts, tshirt, trainers and carrying a big backpack. He ordered champagne and risotto, and was treated just as politely as the immaculately dressed Italian man, in pin-striped suit and silk tie, who was sitting at the next table, with his elegant wife/daughter/mistress (not sure which). And there was an American lady at the Last Supper wearing a gold sequined jacket and gold bag, and a big straw hat. Not what I would wear, but it looked good on her. However, I did think that the two men who came into Boeucc wearing faded old jeans and tshirts probably felt out of place among the mostly very well dressed people there. Most men wore jackets/ties. Maybe they had been invited by others, and didn't realize how formal the dining room there is.
And finally, I was surprised at how quiet the museums were. In Pinacoteca Ambrosiana there were maybe 10 other people. No queue going up the Duomo, very few people in Castello Sforzesco. We didn't go into Pinacoteca Brera, but there did not seem to be many people around there either.
For lunch (prices always for 2 people):
Salumaio di Montenapoleone; lovely courtyard off the famous shopping street, beautiful weather. Excellent prosciutto/mozarella, bresaola, pasta. 100 Euros including wine and coffee.
Paper Moon, Via Bagutta; very popular place, no reservations (but if you get there before 1 pm you can usually get a table). Great antipasto buffet, and vitello tonnato. 96 including wine and coffee.
Fashion Cafe, Piazza San Marco (Brera); 29 Euro for a large salad and a kind of pizza bread with ham/cheese, some wine and coffee. This is a pleasant place for just a drink too; with comfortable sofas outside and low tables.
Dinner
Boeucc, Piaza Belgoioso. Very classic restaurant, quite formal. The oldest restaurant in Milan. Here we had three courses, wine, and coffee. 150 euro. The seabass was particularly good, as was the tiramisu.
Bice, via Borgospesso. Always busy, and reliable for good food. Great risotto with gorgonzola. Spend 125 for 3 courses and wine.
Shops
Apart from the well-known designers in the area between Montenapoleone, Manzoni and Spiga, I found a great shoe shop in Via Solferino; Bagatt. Very nice shoes and quite reasonable (well, compared to Gucci) at around 100 Euros for a pair of shoes. There were a lot of interesting small shops in this area.
There was also a very nice shop in the Corso Europa, close to Piazza Babila, called Zap. Two floors, and an interesting collection of known and unkown desigers; clothes, shoes and accessories.
General observations;
The locals are just about the best dressed people in the world. I thought the men looked particularly good, in tailored suits (I was only paying attention so that I could tell you what they were wearing!). It doesn't really matter too much though. There was a young Asian guy in the Salumaio di Montenapoleone, wearing shorts, tshirt, trainers and carrying a big backpack. He ordered champagne and risotto, and was treated just as politely as the immaculately dressed Italian man, in pin-striped suit and silk tie, who was sitting at the next table, with his elegant wife/daughter/mistress (not sure which). And there was an American lady at the Last Supper wearing a gold sequined jacket and gold bag, and a big straw hat. Not what I would wear, but it looked good on her. However, I did think that the two men who came into Boeucc wearing faded old jeans and tshirts probably felt out of place among the mostly very well dressed people there. Most men wore jackets/ties. Maybe they had been invited by others, and didn't realize how formal the dining room there is.
And finally, I was surprised at how quiet the museums were. In Pinacoteca Ambrosiana there were maybe 10 other people. No queue going up the Duomo, very few people in Castello Sforzesco. We didn't go into Pinacoteca Brera, but there did not seem to be many people around there either.
Sep 27th, 2005, 05:05 AM
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Thanks for the good and "tasty" (food and fashion) report. We will be in the area of Milan next May and I can't decide if we should spend a night or two or go somewhere else? We love the Lake Como area and have been to Florence, Venice and Rome. Maybe it is time to see a little more of Milan than the train station.
Sep 27th, 2005, 05:11 AM
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aj; I have been to Milan 4 times, and only on my last visit did I see the Last Supper! I was there for longer than usual now, so got time to see the sights. In two days you can see a lot of Milan; and it is so 'uncrowded'!
Sep 27th, 2005, 07:21 AM
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Just in case anyone gets scared: undoubtedly Tulpis ate well, but these must be some of the most expensive places in Milan (and would be, at those addresses)! It is possible to eat well and a lot more cheaply, even in Milan. A few of our favorites are listed on http://www.straughan.com/food/rest.html
best regards,
Deirdré Straughan
www.straughan.com (personal)
www.tvblob.com (work)
best regards,
Deirdré Straughan
www.straughan.com (personal)
www.tvblob.com (work)
Sep 27th, 2005, 11:53 PM
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Deirdre; I do realise that! On a rare weekend away with just my husband, we do like to go to good restaurants.
Thank you for your websites; these are the sort places we would go to when we are on holiday with the children.
We stayed at the Spadari al Duomo, which I can highly recommend. Very friendly, good location, nice rooms (though if you hate the colour blue, stay somewhere else!). We had a lovely room with a balcony at the back of the building. 288 Euros per night, including breakfast.
And it's right next door to Peck, which must be the most gorgeous food shop in the world.
Thank you for your websites; these are the sort places we would go to when we are on holiday with the children.
We stayed at the Spadari al Duomo, which I can highly recommend. Very friendly, good location, nice rooms (though if you hate the colour blue, stay somewhere else!). We had a lovely room with a balcony at the back of the building. 288 Euros per night, including breakfast.
And it's right next door to Peck, which must be the most gorgeous food shop in the world.
Sep 28th, 2005, 05:57 AM
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Tulips, I am with you. We just stayed at Spadari al Duomo and just loved it. The breakfasts were fabulous. My husband and I both love to splurge on restaurants also. I'll keep these places in mind for the next time we are in Milan.
