Milan Guide

The former family home of the Bagatti Valsecchi family, who dreamed up the elaborate interiors in the late 1800s to look like a Renaissance palazzo. The totally left-in-place home also houses their impressive collection of ancient art.

The little sister to much-loved Villa Necchi Campiglio, Casa Boschi di Stefano is the frozen-in-time mid-century apartment of a pair of Milanese art and design collectors, now open as a gallery.

A former Pirelli tire factory has been reimagined into one of the largest private art galleries in Europe. Staging a rotating program of excellent exhibitions in addition to their Anselm Kiefer permanent installation, ‘The Seven Heavenly Palaces’; this place is for contemporary art buffs.

A former family home designed by Piero Portaluppi is now the headquarters of Massimo de Carlo gallery, which shows 20th century and contemporary art. Come for the exhibition, stay for the amazing multi-colored marble interiors.

Hidden underground in Porta Venezia, this old-school dance hall is a portal into another era. Book a table with a big group of friends for dinner and dancing Milanese style.

Located in the city center (Brera), the family-owned spot has been a wonderland of alcohol since 1952. You can find everything you need to make the season a bit brighter, including prosecco, champagne, wine and every kind of liquor.

An historic destination—open for more than a century!—near the center of Milan, Drogheria Radrizzani is an excellent one-stop shop for a whole host of holiday needs. Their Pugliese taralli are tops; their selection of wine, champagne and liquor is excellent; and there is a veritable cornucopia of biscuits and the brightly wrapped chocolates that Italians love to place in bowls around their homes come December.

This 62-year-old grocer sells meat, cheese, wine, homemade ice cream, and they can even source you a rare-in-Italy turkey. However, its ‘Orchard’ section is truly a thing of wonder—where Caravaggio might have sent his apprentice to pick up perfectly picturesque mandarins, pomegranates and grapes. It’s ideal for Italians who have a penchant for luxurious displays of fruit during the Christmas season.

Utterly old-school and flawless in presentation, Peck deserves a visit whether you’re shopping for your at-home aperitivo spread or not—especially during the holidays. However, if you are shopping for perfect festive ready-made-splendor, look no further than their salatini, meats and cheeses.

Not everything about an Italian holiday needs to be over-the-top. This shop, opened by architect and designer Paolo Tilche in 1955, provides the city’s design community with sleekly modernist votives and vases for their Christmas tables. Consider it an aesthetic breath of fresh air.

Walking into this jewel box of a shop is like stumbling into a czarina’s cupboard, stacked with exquisite colored glass all finished in lacy gold trim. Their selection of ornaments is nothing short of dreamy—with prices to match. For further festivity, pick up some of their equally regal goblets to toast to the year ahead.

This isn’t a fancy candle brand with cult scents. Rather, it’s the spot to pick up decorative candles for your centerpieces, mantels and other festive lighting needs. They have a rainbow of cylinders and tapers—both smooth and in the twisty torchon variety—along with tealights, festively hued ball-shaped candles and more.

Who said it was impossible to eat healthy in Italy? Plato serves fresh, healthy versions of a number of Italian mainstay dishes – and a few of their own creations. The decor is ridiculously good.

A portal straight into Tokyo, Gastronomia Yamamoto is proper Japanese home cooking done right. Just don’t come looking for sushi.

Color is the main character at interior designer Sophie Wannenes Brera-district shop and gallery, where everything from the hand towels to the curtains are available to take home.

Design darlings Quincoces-Dragò are the masterminds behind this Navigli-area gallery, which shows chic mid-century Italian and Scandinavian furniture in a swoon-inducing former monastery.