Neighbourhoods
San Babila/Duomo
The city’s heart
It’s not always easy to know where to go in the centre and it’s easy to get caught up with the hordes of tourists that are taking photos around the city’s cathedral, or Duomo. That landmark is absolutely worth a visit and can be reached at the end of Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II from the San Babila metro. But first you might want to stop for a bite along the way at A Santa Lucia, a fun restaurant that harks back the 1920s. We recommend doing a roof tour of the Duomo. Afterwards – you can skip the underwhelming interiors – make sure to check out the incredible detail of the pink-hued and fragile Candoglia marble.
In the Piazza del Duomo, head into La Rinascente for a department-store fix (the top-floor food court is good for presents) and make sure you see some futurist masters across the square at the rationalist Museo del 900. Finish up with a glance in at the nearby Patagonia-inspired Fueguia 1833 perfume shop and, if you’re looking for a good place for a bite slightly out of the thick of it, contemporary spot Sugo Milano is highly recommended.
Porta Venezia
A grand old neighbourhood with architecture to match
One of Milan’s original old-money neighbourhoods, the quartiere today is a mix of shops, restaurants and plenty of residential spaces. Start your day with a caffeine hit at Orsonero Coffee on via Giuseppe Brogi, a postcard-sized locale where people often spill out onto the street that has been leading the way in Milan’s new wave of speciality coffee shops.
Next up head to the Casa Museo Boschi di Stefano, a beautiful apartment (and museum) designed by Piero Portaluppi with an extraordinary collection of 20th-century art hanging on its walls. Keep your eyes peeled as you wander the streets afterwards as Porta Venezia has some of the city’s best examples of stile liberty, Italy’s take on art nouveau (our favourite is Casa Galimberti at via Malpighi 3 – currently a Panino Giusto). You’ll see more of these buildings as you walk to lunch at the excellent modern bistro Remulass, on via Nino Bixio. Walk off the excess at the Indro Montanelli Gardens and pop into the excellent Fondazione Luigi Rovati (the otherworldly basement is a must) on Corso Venezia to finish.
Brera
Design destinations and artistic offerings
One of the main centres of Milan’s Design Week, Brera’s pretty streets are crammed full of clothing boutiques, bars, restaurants and jewellery stores. The main thoroughfares are Corso Garibaldi and Via Solferino but there is plenty to take you away from them too. The mythical, no frills, no bookings La Latteria in via San Marco has reopened thanks to funding from the Loro Piana family and is worth stopping in for lunch if you can get a table. Failing that you could walk across to Al Matarel, just off Corso Garibaldi, another wonderfully old-world place serving Lombard cuisine with a beautiful mural on its wall.
After lunch you can head down Via Solferino to the Pinacoteca for a staggering (and quite overwhelming) cultural fix of Italian paintings from the 13th to 20th centuries. It’s a two-minute walk round the corner to an excellent vintage shop featuring lots of old neon signs, Il Cirmolo. Finish things up back on Garibaldi with an aperitivo at Associazione Salumi e Vini Naturali, which has a lovely outdoor space for the warmer months.
