Getting antsy on where you should go during fashion week? I’ve got your back, BABE! Here’s the cheat sheet on how to survive Milan during fashion week, including a couple of hidden gems, secret spots and the best ham & cheese panino in town.
Pavè Break
Lucky me! Pavè has opened its second shop just across the street from my house! The second location is home of Milan’s most mouth-watering croissant. You will not find a crispier, more inviting ham and fontina wonder in the world! I pick one up and go!
Address: Via della Commenda 25, Milano
City ZEN
Fashion week is a stressful time of the year: every editor is on the run! Cityzen is a little oasis of peace, the perfect place to recharge and meditate. Sweat out your toxins at a Hot Yoga class with Deborah, prep your abs for crop tops at Vinyasa with Cristina A. or take a more meditative approach at Yin with Elena, my personal fave. Plus it has the best showers and most instagrammable bathrooms of Milan!
Address: Via S. Francesco D’Assisi, 15
La Madonnina
La Madonnina is a real trattoria – a great place for lunch if you are after the Italian mother experience, checkered table cloths included. Nothing on the menu is aligned with you being on a diet, but the great pasta plates and cotoletta are worth the cheating! The ivy-covered courtyard is a rare find in Milan and truly aids digestion and relaxation.
Address: Via Gentilino, 6
DD The Studio by Davide Diodovich
My hair guru Davide Diodovich has moved and his new studio is the chicest apartment in Milan. From the entrance – a Deco delight designed by Piero Portaluppi – to the beautiful, luxurious interior filled with a beauty gurus squad ready to pamper you, I just want to move in! Every woman has her own reserved room and makes you feel spoiled like you could only be at home.
Address: Via Aurelio Saffi, 25
Giacomo Rosticceria
Giacomo has opened yet another eatery, officially taking over the whole via Sottocorno, should we name it after him? The Rosticceria has a more domestic and vintage atmosphere: homemade dishes are displayed at the front and the décor is unpretentious. There is a lovely little garden, great for anytime you need fuel and a homey feel.
Address: Via Pasquale Sottocorno, 36
Triennale
Check out the mid-century tapestries at the Triennale Museum, over 100 pieces of tapestries, carpets and textiles have been curated by and Moshe Tabibnia, the genius behind one of my most beloved galleries in Milan together with Virginia Giuliano. This exhibition is a lesson in Italian textile tradition through the 20th century and totally design eye candy.
Hangar Bicocca
Swing by the Lucio Fontana exhibit at Hangar Bicocca, just in time for the debut of Milan fashion week, this exhibition explores Lucio the great artist’s innovative work in the realm of installation art. This oeuvre of Fontana’s work is little known and for a reason: these Ambienti spaziali (“Spatial Environments”), rooms and corridors that the artist began to conceive and design in the late 1940s, were almost typically destroyed at the end of the exhibition. This is the first time that some of these environments have been recreated since the death of the artist.
Cova
Cova is no secret in Milan, this old school institution has been rightfully famous for decades. But after being completely renovated, it’s now sprung a secret private garden in back – finally something outdoors!
Address: Via Montenapoleone, 8
Bar Basso
For something different try Bar Basso, cradle of the Negroni Sbagliato as well as home of the biggest spritz glass in Milan, but be warned that getting there is quite a trip from the center. They are also the proud parents of Negroni Sbagliato, practically a religion in the city. Another favorite of mine is Cucchi, which is more central. It’s where the locals go, but the service has the standoffish Milanese attitude which sometimes make people wonder why I recommend it. Do it anyway!
Address: Via Plinio, 39
Dabass https://www.facebook.com/dabassmilano/
When I learned that one of the coolest girls in Milan, Francesca Savini was behind the 30s inspired decor of Dabass I knew it would be special. Housed inside Casa Sartorio, Milan’s answer to the Flatiron building, the interiors boast rare vintage finds while the bar is a work by artist Graziano Locatelli, an optical, black and white piece. Saving you from the eternal dilemma of what to order, the restaurant has no menu: the meal is composed of four delicious courses and changes everyday.
Address: Via Piacenza, 13
P.S. Just next door, the Spirit (via Piacenza, 15), is perfect for a digestive drink.
28 Posti
Dine with a Designer – The newish 28 Posti is inviting some of our favorite Milanese designers for an evening of great food and even better fashion! One of the coziest atmospheres in Milan, 28 Posti (28 Seats, the name says it all) is a contemporary bistrot in the heart of the Navigli. Marco Ambrosino, the whippet chef from Southern Italy, likes to experiment with Mediterranean flavours, yet adds a touch of avant-garde and he will be inspired by Milanese designers for some new delicious dishes.
Address: Via Corsico 1
An old favorite:
Masuelli
Far from the hectic scene in the center of town, you will find inner peace and Milanese food nirvana in this classic trattoria that has been run by the Masuelli family for over 90 years. The Gio Ponti chandeliers from the 1930s and the deco style furnishings will make you feel like you’re in another era. While there try their signature piatto unico Solare (small-sized Milanese style breaded veal with saffron risotto) and bring home the hand-painted dish as a souvenir, a long lost Italian tradition.
Address: Viale Umbria 80
