My weekender guide to Milan
Vintage shopping and tiramisu and pasta, oh my!
A tourist’s two-day guide to the most stylish city in the world. Plus, our Milan Google Maps list!
Day (night) 1:
I went to Milan partly for Design Week, but mostly for fun. My friend Gabi had a gap in her Euro-trip and I was already on the fence about going, so we decided it was the perfect excuse to meet in the city for a quick trip.
The first night we arrived, we checked into our lovely B&B around 8:30p and headed out for dinner at La Gioia. We walked in without a res, but it was lucky we got a spot- the rest of the tables were full all night. The food was okay, the best part of the meal was the bread and olives. What brought this restaurant back into the green for us was the decor and the tiramisu. Oh my god, the tiramisu. I’d book a flight back to Milan just for that one dish. La Gioia would shine as a bar-seat nightcap spot for wine + dessert.
Day 2:
We started our first full day with an appointment at Armani/Casa, where we were toured through their 25th-anniversary collection. Although these houses’ Design Week “activations” won’t be permanent, I still think it would be fun to pop into the brick-and-mortar luxury interior design stores in Milan if you visit any other week of the year. It gives you an appreciation of the physical “worlds” in which these different houses operate.
We had lunch on the very busy but charming street of Via Fiori Chiari at Il Cestino. Our first choice — and my favorite spot from my last visit— was “Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone - since 1957”, but a beautiful but abrasive Italian woman immediately turned us away due to capacity full ALL WEEK, so I’d make a reservation by calling or emailing.
Then, we did our first round of vintage and boutique shopping. Our central Milan shop visits were:
La Double J- I had an event with them the following night, so I popped in to grab my look, but their store is a fun wonderland of color and patterns. I got a tip: they may be making more of an appearance in New York soon… my fingers are crossed!
Cavalli e Nastri Brera- Some vintage spots (Madame Pauline) seemed to discount the vintage items because they’re second-hand, whereas Cavalli seemed to hike their prices for a “curation” fee. It’s a fun store to pop into, but we didn’t find anything we fell in love with.
Acca Cappa- Go here for brushes… toothbrushes, hair brushes, scalp massagers, you name it.
Officine Universelle Buly 1803 - I regret not buying a few personalized gifts here. It's more affordable than expected, and they have a great range of beautiful toiletries.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II- This is the iconic domed shopping mall you’ve probably seen all over your Instagram feed. We popped into Chanel, Chloé, Louis Vuitton, and Bottega. It took serious willpower not to swipe my card at every stop.
Vintage Delirum- I’d only go here if you’re already in the area. They have a pretty incredible collection, but the people who work there can be a bit icy. It’s very much “look, don’t touch”, which I understand entirely, but it doesn’t make for the best shopping experience.
After an outfit change and a crucial stop at Gelato & Champagne, we enjoyed dinner at Veramente. A Google review summed it up perfectly: “This place feels cool. Imagine a really good Italian restaurant in Dubai, and this could be it. A little flashy, not 100% authentic, but very good”.
Day Three:
We started our last day at 10 Corso Como. It’s essentially an incredibly chic take on a small department store. On the ground floor, past the cafe, there is a large room full of the most beautiful designers- Phoebe Philo, Chloe, Hodakova, etc. Keep walking, and you’ll bump into the Gentle Monsters x Maison Margiela installation, then a room full of accessories and shoes. Upstairs, there were design galleries and then a beautiful rooftop with plenty of space to loiter and enjoy the cat in the neighbor’s window.
After Corso Como, we headed south to Via Stampa for a beautiful coffee. We opted for paninis in the park for lunch, which may have been our favorite meal of the whole trip. It fueled us for our second, more successful round of vintage shopping:
Madame Pauline Vintage- Is it embarrassing to admit I got heart palpitations from this shop? It wasn’t overly curated (still felt like we had to “hunt” a bit), fairly priced, and had an incredible range of styles and categories. I bought a beautiful fitted jacket by Twin Set, and Gabi bought a beautiful Gucci wallet. I’ll be back.
The Cloister- This is a beautifully designed store with some of the best-dressed people I’ve ever seen mulling about. They have a large collection of books on their mezzanine. I bought a pair of Chloe trousers and a vintage chunky belt.
After checking into our new hotel for the night, Ca Bela, we stopped by the beautiful La DoubleJ offices for their cocktail party. I felt like a princess in their Naiad dress.
For dinner, we met with mutual friends working in the design/ art world at Trattoria del Ciumbia. The food was surprisingly good after less-than-enjoyable cocktails. Stick to wine. They have a little “disco” downstairs where we grabbed a drink before heading to Palinurobar for a Sophie Lou Jacobson pop-up party.
And that was that!
My gift to you: the Google Map list Gabi and I created to plan our visit. You’ll notice some spots we saved but didn’t get to, like Marchesi 1824, on the list. All the more reason to visit again next year!
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