Milan: Food and culture

Beside the shopping (read all my tips here), the other thing that will rock your world in Milan is the food.

For something traditional, try the cozy family run Antica Trattoria Della Pesa – famous for their Osso Bucco and their Milanese Risotto (which I discover is risotto with saffron, onion and LOTS of butter.) If you’re super hungry, order the schnitzel. I saw four grown men dividing up one schnitzel to share. It’s THAT big.

Milanese risotto

For a local feel, try Nobu in the super posh Armani Hotel. You’ll get plenty of attitude from the staff and you’ll leave smelling like an ashtray but the food is fun and the people watching is fabulous. It’s not pleasant to have people puffing away at the next table while you’re trying to enjoy your “Selezione di Sashimi”, but that’s the norm here.
Acanto Restaurant in the five star Hotel Principe di Savoia is a little pricey but the classic Italian cuisine is guaranteed to give you multiple food orgasms. There’s an exquisite wine list to match and this is the only restaurant in the world where my handbag was given it’s own “seat” at the table. Respect.

Hotel Principe

If you’ve spent too much in the shops you could always just fill up during “Apertivo”. Milan is the capital of Happy Hour snacking. Plenty of bars offer free food between 6-8pm – everything from bruschetta and pizza to olives and octopus – just sitting there in platters on the bar … FREE! Competition between bars is fierce, so they all try and out-do one another on the food front in an effort to lure you in.

Culture, darling!
If you’re after a little culture to break up the shopping and eating, Milan has a couple of absolute stunners!

Duomo roof

The “Duomo di Milano” is a 14th century gothic cathedral with strikingly beautiful spires and apparently more statues than any other building in the world. It’s free to look inside but you can pay a few euros and walk on the rooftop. You can catch a lift or burn off that pasta you had the night before and walk the 250 stairs to the top. The views are bellisimo!

Santa Maria

The other Milan must-see is “The Last Supper“, which you can view at the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Whilst a viewing of the “Mona Lisa” at the Louvre in Paris is often considered a little underwhelming, the beauty of “The Last Supper” in all its glory is completely overwhelming. The moment I lay eyes upon Da Vinci’s finest fresco literally brings me to tears. In an effort to minimise exposure to dust and pollution, only 30 people are allowed to view it every 15 minutes. Some websites warn you to book tickets months in advance but I manage to call and score tickets the day before.

Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Have you been to Milan? Any travel tips?

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