Shopping
As the fashion capital of Italy, Milan is a shopper’s paradise. Famous for designer boutiques with cutting-edge collections, the city also offers affordable fashion, funky accessories, jewellery and even vintage, as well as design icons, homeware and tempting new food halls.
Admiring the designer shopfronts
iStock
Where to shop
The Quadrilatero d’Oro is the designer fashion district par excellence. The flagship outlets of Armani, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Versace and their peers are conveniently concentrated here. This ‘Golden Quadrangle’, only a short distance from the Duomo, is defined by Via Manzoni, Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga and Via Sant’Andrea. The elegant Via Montenapolene – or Monte Napo as the Milanese call it – is the designers’ shop window, even if many now have their showrooms in Milan’s hippest neighbourhood, the Zona Tortona area (metro Porta Genova).
The Quadrilatero conceals snooty boutiques in beautifully preserved palazzi yet also flaunts fashion and lifestyle megastores. Armani is the quintessential brand, with a megastore at Via Manzoni 31 which houses Caffè Emporio Armani, Armani Libri (books), and Armani Dolce, in addition to Armani fashion, an Armani Nobu and a new Armani hotel. Dolce & Gabbana typify the designers who are following suit, with branded stores, bars, restaurants and barber’s.
The centre offers a Milanese mixture. Affordable fashion can be found in the chain stores around the Duomo, but even this area is dotted with designer boutiques, bookstores and bars. For instance, Trussardi chose to site their fashion megastore and designer eateries beside La Scala opera house. However, the neighbouring Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Via Dante are lined with mainstream brands.
A short walk from La Scala lies the atmospheric Brera, traditionally the bohemian quarter. These quaintly cobbled streets conceal galleries, antique shops and offbeat boutiques, such as the romantic Luisa Beccaria (Via Formentini; tel: 02 863 8071, http://luisabeccaria.it, metro Lanza). The Navigli canal quarter, particularly Corso di Porta Ticinese, is the area to head to for younger, hipper, one-off designs, including affordable women’s wear at Dock (Viale Gorizia 30, metro Porta Genova).
The Corso Como area (metro Garibaldi) is perennially fashionable, thanks to the Fiat garage transformed into the concept store known as Corso Como 10 (www.10corsocomo.com). With a tea garden, lounge bar and restaurant, bookshop, art gallery and music shop, you could spend all day here – and since it has three designer suites above the shop, all night too.
The Buenos Aires district (metro Porta Venezia) is the best for affordable young mainstream fashion, including sportswear, jeans and sunglasses. Northeast from the Giardini Pubblici, Corso Buenos Aires is the longest shopping street in Italy, packed with clothes, shoe shops, chain stores and discount outlets.
Shopping in comfort
Milanese shop assistants can be frosty, particularly if you don’t look the part, or dare to handle the merchandise. But, of course, they all like a sale, and if you look like a potential buyer they will be very willing to help, even arranging to have your shopping taken back to your hotel.
If you want a new wardrobe, consider booking a personal shopper (through such hotels as the Principe di Savoia, Baglioni and Chateau Monfort). With discounts and outlet shopping, this service can pay for itself, and you get objective advice on which designers best suit your body shape. The busiest shopping times, particularly in and around the Quadrilatero d’Oro, are the fashion weeks at the end of February and the beginning of October.
Swimwear for the style-conscious male in the Quadrilatero d’Oro
Glyn Genin/Apa Publications
Factory outlets
Most of the big factory outlets, which offer 20–75 percent off recommended retail prices, are inconveniently located in the suburbs, but Serraravalle (www.mcarthurglen.it) is worth the trek. This is the biggest, most convenient out-of-town outlet (an hour away on a free shuttle bus from Foro Bonaparte, beside Piazza Castello (metro Cairoli). Closer to the centre, outlets pop up like mushrooms. The Salvagente outlet (Via Bronzetti 16) stocks heavily discounted fashion from Prada, Armani and other big names. On Piazza San Babilla (corner of Via Bagutta) is the Kilo Fascion (www.lillainternationalgroup.it) which, amusingly, sells the main designer brands by the kilo (the price depends on the weight).
Interior design
Milan is also the world’s leading centre for furniture and household design, and the city is home to a large number of stylish stores and showrooms. Some of the leading names sit along Via Durini, familiarly known as ‘Design Street’, and Corso Matteotti, both of which are south of the Quadrilatero d’Oro. Recommended brands include Alessi (for homeware and gadgetry; Via Manzoni 14; www.alessi.com), Kartell (for lamps, accessories and furniture; Via C Porta 1; www.kartell.com), and Cassina (for creative furniture and shelving; Via Durini 16; www.cassina.com). Design fans can also seek inspiration at the Triennale Design Museum (for more information, click here) and visit the city during the Milan Furniture Fair.
Department stores
Milan’s most central and upmarket department store and food hall is La Rinascente (www.rinascente.it) on Piazza del Duomo (daily until 10pm), beside the Duomo. La Rinascente offers stylish clothes, cosmetics and household goods as well as lingering views from the rooftop bars and food hall. Make the store your first shopping stop, if only to see what’s on trend. Coin (http://en.coin.it), on Piazza Cinque Giornate, southeast of the centre, is a cheaper chain store for clothes and accessories, and is home to Eataly, a tempting Slow Food deli.
Books and multimedia
Milan has a wide range of megastores, which are open seven days a week. The vast Mondadori Multicenter (www.mondadoristore.it), occupying the Palazzo dei Portici in Piazza del Duomo, is a haven for book and gadget lovers. Feltrinelli (www.lafeltrinelli.it) responds with big branches on Piazza del Duomo (on the corner with Via U. Foscolo) and the Stazione Centrale, both of which sell English-language books.
Gastronomy
Gourmet food shop
Glyn Genin/Apa Publications
Gourmets will enjoy the city’s food shops, stacked with everything from home-cured hams, speciality risotto rice, herbs and honey to local wines, grappa and liqueurs. The legendary Milanese deli Gastronomia Peck (Via Spadari 9, near the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana; www.peck.it), is a showcase for the finest hams and cheeses, pasta, pastries, smoked wild salmon and spectacular truffles – all under the same roof, with a branded café nearby. Ottimo Massimo is a (smaller, more affordable; www.ottimomassimogourmet.it) rival, as are the impressive food halls at Eat’s Store and La Rinascente, not to mention the Van Bol & Feste (www.vanbolandfeste.it) deli and café.
Foodie listings
For more information on the cafés and restaurants mentioned, click here.
For delicious cakes and pastries, including a legendary panettone, the Milanese Christmas cake, go to Pasticceria Marchesi (www.pasticceriamarchesi.it), on Via Santa Maria alla Porta 13, an old-fashioned pasticceria. Cova (http://cova.com.hk) and Biffi (http://biffigalleria.it) are other chic, old-school alternatives, while the new boys include the California Bakery (www.californiabakery.it). The newer bakeries appeal to the Milanese love of novelty, brunch, bagels, bread and all-day eating. The bakeries also foster the illusion that local people could be hard-bitten New Yorkers in another incarnation. Wine connoisseurs will enjoy a visit to the Enoteca Cotti (www.enotecacotti.it) at Via Solferino 42, a long-established shop stocking around 1,000 fine wines and hundreds of grappas and liqueurs.
Markets and antiques
Fiera di Senigallia flea market
Glyn Genin/Apa Publications
Colourful street markets sell flowers, fruit, fashion and household goods. For clothing and accessories, including designer-label bargains, try the sprawling Mercato di Viale Papiniano at Porta Genova, held on Tuesday morning and all day Saturday. The Saturday Fiera di Senigallia (www.fieradisinigaglia.it) on Ripa di Porta Ticinese sells new and vintage clothing, CDs and accessories. The city flea market (metro Porta Genova) takes place on Sunday mornings. Every third Sunday of the month, except in August, the Brera hosts the Mercato dell’Antiquariato (Antiques Market), which also encompasses bric-a-brac and jewellery. But the biggest antiques market comes to the Navigli quarter on the last Sunday of the month (except July), with more than 400 stalls lining the banks of the Naviglio Grande canal.
Entertainment
Milan is home to one of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, along with scores of concert venues, art galleries and the most vibrant nightlife in Italy, matched by stylish bars and nightclubs.
Most information about events and entertainment has moved online and, reflecting this shift, Milan tourist board has revamped its website (www.turismo.milano.it). This should be your first port of call for finding out about forthcoming events. Look under the ‘Happenings’ section (in English). Where Milan magazine (free from the best hotels) is another invaluable source, and has an online edition (www.wheremilan.com). If you read Italian, Wednesday’s edition of the Corriere della Sera newspaper has listings in the ViviMilano supplement, and La Repubblica does likewise in its Thursday TuttoMilano section.
Opera
La Scala’s sumptuous interior
Fotolia
For many visitors Milan means opera. The Teatro alla Scala, or La Scala (www.teatroallascala.org; tel: 02 88791) as it is more familiarly known, hosts ballet and classical concerts as well as opera. The opera season runs from 7 December to July. Ballet and classical concerts are held here during the autumn months.
For information on ticket availability visit the website or call the Scala Infotel service on 02 7200 3744 (daily 9am–6pm). Seating plans and the season’s programme can be viewed online. Tickets can be purchased either via the automatic telephone booking service (tel: 02 860 775; 24-hour service in four languages) up to two weeks before the performance, or online via the Teatro alla Scala website (credit card payments only, with 20 percent surcharge).
The central box office (daily noon–6pm) is in the Duomo metro station opposite the ATM public transport office. One month before performances take place all unsold tickets are put on sale here. Two hours before the performance, 140 numbered tickets for gallery seats are sold at the Evening Box Office, which is near the opera house. Any last-minute non-gallery tickets that are still available in the hour before the performance are sold with around a 25 percent discount.
Concerts
Milan is a deeply musical city, offering everything from classical concerts and choral music performances to live jazz and rock. Summer concerts in outdoor settings are increasingly popular. The best source of information for all music is the official Milan website (www.turismo.milano.it), even if it doesn’t always flag up concerts very far in advance.
The Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi at Via Conservatorio 12 (www.consmilano.it) hosts regular classical concerts in a former monastery from mid-September to June. The 1,400-seat Auditorium di Milano (www.laverdi.org) in the Ticinese quarter is home to the Symphonic Orchestra of Giuseppe Verdi and hosts symphony concerts, choral and chamber music, and jazz and light music.
Classical concerts are also held in churches throughout the city, notably in San Marco, San Simpliciano, Santa Maria del Carmine and San Maurizio. Summer open-air concerts take place at the Castello Sforzesco, in the gardens of the Villa Reale (www.amicidellamusicamilano.it), and in the courtyard of the Palazzo Marino (tel: 02 8846 2320). Pop and rock concerts are staged at San Siro stadium. Tickets for concerts and major events can be bought at stores such as Ricordi in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Nightlife
Milan’s competing nightlife districts offer their own distinctive charms. Given the intriguing choice, it makes sense to focus on one area at a time. As a general rule, the centre offers classic Milanese nightlife while the Brera is both bohemian and sophisticated. The top hotel bars are classy rather than stuffy while the Quadrilatero is design conscious, the Navigli funky, and Corso Como flashy. The best time to spot film stars, footballers and fashion models is in the early evening, over cocktails at hip bars and cafés.
The historic centre, particularly the area around the cathedral, is always crowded but offers classic Milanese haunts you would be foolish to shun. Begin a traditional bar crawl in Camparino (www.camparino.it), at the entrance to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. This historic cocktail bar serves the best Campari in town, along with the juiciest olives. From here, resist the people-watching Gucci Café in the Galleria for a glorious sunset toast to Milan: the rooftop bars on the top of La Rinascente department store are irresistible. From here, saunter through the Galleria to La Scala to catch sight of the operatic crowd, probably sipping cocktails or Franciacorta sparkling wines, at the chic but contemporary Cafe Trussardi.
Happy hour
Cocktails are part of Milanese life, and Happy Hour often lasts from 6.30–9.30pm. The price of a drink may seem steep, but canapés and sometimes a whole buffet may be included and can provide a light supper in itself.
The neighbouring Brera district (metro Moscova or a pleasant walk down Via Verdi from La Scala) is both a slice of ‘old Milan’ and the most appealing place for cocktails. Apart from the vibrant Via Fiori Chiari, the preserve of fortune-tellers, illegal bag-sellers and cocktail bars, the nightlife options are less frenzied than in the Navigli canal quarter and more moodily Milanese than in the centre. Cinc (Via Formentini 5; www.cincbrera.it) overlooks one of the prettiest squares in the Brera, and is a lovely place for cocktails. Both friendly and quietly sophisticated, the bar serves classic concoctions made with the finest ingredients. The funky Marc Jacobs lounge bar (Piazza del Carmine) is better suited for the fashion and design crowd. When on Via Fiori Chiari, few can resist an organic ice cream at Gelateria Amorino (www.amorino.com).
Curiously, the Quadrilatero fashion district (metro San Babila or Montenapoleone) can be dead in the evening, apart from several exciting exceptions, particularly during Fashion Week. The modellari, the louche model-spotters (adorned with ‘creative’ glasses) often stalk their prey at the Dolce & Gabbana Martini Bar on Corso Venezia, and the rooftop views from the bar in the Armani Hotel are worth sampling if you feel sleek enough to face the ‘fashion police’. Armani Privé (Via Pisoni 1) is the designer’s branded nightclub, but expect a strict door policy. Far less fashion-obsessed is the frescoed bar at the Four Seasons Hotel or the cool bar at the Bulgari Hotel. Conti Café (Via Montenapoleone 19, tel: 02 7639 4934), tucked away down a courtyard, is a cosy (yet posey) lounge bar for a typical Milanese mix of backchat, cakes, sushi and Mediterranean-style pasta, preferably all at once.
The late-night hub of choice is the Navigli canal quarter (metro Porta Genova), which has a funkier, clubbier feel, especially in summer, and where you can dine late. While Alzaia Naviglio Grande, the main canal, is better for restaurants and a more sophisticated set, Alzaia Naviglio Pavese attracts a wilder crowd to the barge-bars moored on the banks.
More upmarket is the compact Corso Como area (metro Garibaldi), a buzzing nightlife area favoured by the fashion set and footballers on a roll. The hub is 10 Corso Como Café (Corso Como 10, tel: 02 2901 3581; www.10corsocomo.com) a perennially fashionable lounge bar, restaurant, art gallery and concept store, perfect for a civilised late-night drink with the fashion and design crowd. If all this sounds too exhausting, simply while away an evening at the sophisticated Principe Bar (Hotel Principe di Savoia, metro Repubblica) or flaunt your style at the flashy Just Cavalli Café (Torre Branca, Parco Sempione; http://milano.cavalliclub.com).
Sport
San Siro Stadium
Corbis
Football is a Milanese passion, and after Italy’s positive team performance in Euro 2016, where they cruelly knocked out by Germany in a penalty shootout in the quarter finals, it is more popular than ever. The city has two major teams: Inter and AC Milan, both of which play at the Giuseppe Meazza San Siro Stadium, west of the city centre at Via Piccolomini 5 (metro Lotto, then tram 16). The teams play on alternate Sundays from September to May; for tickets visit www.acmilan.com and www.inter.it. (For details of the museum and stadium tour, for more information, click here.) The AC Milan Megastore in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is a good source of souvenirs and advice.
Another great spectator venue is the Formula One circuit at Monza, which hosts the Italian Grand Prix in September. Monza can be reached in 15 minutes by train from Stazione Centrale or Garibaldi.
Milan’s lido
If you don’t mind crowds, head to the Lido di Milano, south of the city centre (Piazzale Lotto 15; tel: 02 392 791; metro Lotto), which has a gym, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool with slides, windsurfing and mini golf.
For a break from the heat and traffic, head east to ‘Milan’s Sea’. Built in 1928 as a landing for seaplanes, it is a huge artificial lake with a water park, rowing regattas, canoeing and boating. The park is the place for jogging trails and opportunities for free climbing and mountain biking. Close to Linate Airport, the park is located at Viale dell’Idroscalo 1 (tel: 02 756 0393; bus No. 73 from Milan’s Piazza San Babila).
There are several golf courses in the Milan area, the best of which is the Milano Golf Club, out at Monza (www.golfclubmilano.it).
Children’s Milan
Milan holds little fascination for young visitors, and unless they are immaculately behaved (and dressed) they won’t be given a warm welcome in the fashion salons. Located in a historic Baroque building, Museo de Bambini (MUBA; www.muba.it) features exhibitions and workshops as well as cultural, artistic and leisure activities for children of all ages.
As for sightseeing, youngsters might enjoy clambering on the roof of the Duomo, going to the top of the Torre Branca or visiting the Science Museum (www.museoscienza.org), which exhibits huge boats, steam trains and aircraft. In the interactive labs you can make industrial soap bubbles, touch a bolt of lightning or learn how a helicopter flies.
On top of the Duomo
Glyn Genin/Apa Publications
Football enthusiasts will enjoy a match at Milan’s San Siro Stadium or a visit to the stadium museum (Gate 21, Via Piccolomini 5; www.sansirotour.com; Apr–Oct daily 10.30am–5pm, variable times on match days). The museum has life-size statues of AC Milan and Inter heroes, and includes a visit to the stadium. When Milan palls, consider a day trip out on Lake Como, or short summer boat trips leaving from Milan’s Navigli canal quarter. If all else fails, then Milanese cakes and ice cream should help alleviate the boredom.