Milano Rolodex: Simone Marchetti Gives Us His Scoop on the City’s Best Spots

Fashion Editor at La Repubblica, Simone Marchetti is not only catnip for street style photographers but also the most stylish man in town with a bomb of a brain to boot. His witty and intelligent fashion reporting has cemented him as one of the top authorities in the industry and his penchant for prints makes him one of our favorite maximalists out there. Here, he reveals his favorite spots in the city and those that keep him looking so darn good.

What is your favorite place to take a café?

I always take a café at Il Bar Brera, (Via Brera 23) just in front of the Accademia di Brera, one of the most magical museums in the city because it has great people watching. I will always love Marchesi in Corso Magenta (Via Santa Marta alla Porta 11a) for a true slice of Milanese life. They also have the best croissants in town.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you get there?

This is hard! There are so many that I love. When I’m in the mood for pampering, I will take the fritto misto with a glass of champagne at Fiorai Bianchi (Via Montebello 7). I also have a soft spot for the counter at Giacomo Bistro (Via Sottocorno 6). Make sure you get Eugenio the barman to make you a violet gin and saffron tonic.

What is a new restaurant that you like and why?

Risoelatte (Via Manfredo Camperio 6). Everything there is good but I really enjoy the riso e latte risotto which is full of these incredible vegetables cooked in milk.

A place to fall in love with the city?

There is only one: the secret park in the Orto di Brera (Via Brera 28) just behind the Accademia.

Where do you cut your hair?

Andrea at Il Barberino (Corso Magenta 10) has been cutting my hair for as long as I can remember.

And for a massage?

Without a doubt, the spa at the Armani Hotel (Via Manzoni 31) where I get a full body massage. Ask for Brian, he is the best.

Where do you work out?

I love MILANIMAL (Via Ludovico Muratori 34) for crossfit which has become my passion. You have to ask for Matilde Orlandoni and Francesco Ajello who are their best trainers.

Your favorite farmacia?

La Farmacia Legnani (Via Giovanni Rasori 2) Ask for a perfume to wake up or help you fall asleep. They have everything there!

Your top off-duty places in town?

I would have to say Fondazione Prada (via Largo Isarco 2). I love to sit outside and look at the people in the museum through the transparent glass windows. And of course there is Teatro alla Scala (Via Folodrammatici 2) which is so magical when it is still empty and the orchestra is lining up before a show. The best views are from the roof of the Duomo (Piazza Duomo) and Gio Ponti’s Torre Branca (Viale Milton). I also love the space at Gallery Lia Rumma (Via Stilicone 19).

Where do you take guests who are in town?

For a casual dinner in Brera where I live, Bagutta (Via Bagutta 14) or  Torre di Pisa (Via Fiori Chiari 21) where the menu is always changing depending on what is fresh that day. I always take a riso al salto and zabaione for dessert at Antica Trattoria della Pesa (Viale Pasubio 10). If I am sick of Italian, I go to Yuzu (Via Lazzaro Papi 2) for amazing sushi.

Where do you go for a drink?

Obviously there is Plastic (Via Bargono 15) which is inevitable. For a drink I like the tiny Pravda Vodka Bar (Via Carlo Vittadini 6). Get Benji or Frog to make you a cocktail- I always take a vodka sour with ginger or fresh strawberries.

-Meredith Nichols

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