MILAN

BAKERIES, COFFEE, JUICE, ICE CREAM & TEA
●Cova Pasticceria-Confetteria – 8 Via Montenapoleone; 011-39-027-600-5599; cova.biz; open Monday-Saturday, 8-8; established in 1817 as Milanese nobility club; now public tearoom frequented by their descendants; crystal chandeliers send splintered light across marble counters lined with wild strawberry, blackberry, or raspberry tarts, cream puffs, and other pastries; espresso.
●Il Gelato Centogusti – Piazzale Lagosta; 011-39-026-900-9770; centogusti.it; 100 flavors from conventional to unconventional (black sesame, celery cream).
●Officine del Gelato – 46 Via Montenero; 011-39-025-990-4118; officinedelgelato.com; natural ingredients.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
●Armani Prive – 31 Via Manzani (at Armani Hotel Milano); 011-39-028-883-8381; armanihotels.com; hotel room key makes access lots easier; bathed in pink light.
●El Brellin – 14 Alzaia Naviglio Grande (Navigli); 011-39-025-810-1351; brellin.it; drinks in garden.
●Al Coccio – 2 Alzaia Naviglio Pavese (Navigli); 011-39-025-810-1982; alcoccio.org; pub.
●Diana Bar – 42 Viale Piave (in Sheraton); 011-39-022-0581; dianamajestic.hotelsinmilan.it.
●Hollywood – 15 Corso Como; 011-39-026-598-996; discotecahollywood.it; dancing; high model-to-mortal ratio; recently club pitching for trendier, more artsy crowd.
●Just Cavalli Cafe – 6 Viale Camoens; 011-39-023-11817; justcavallihollywood.it; great people-watching.
●Old Fashion Cafe – 6 Viale Alemagna; 011-39-028-056-231; oldfashion.it; among Milan’s 1^st discos, continues to pump out tunes, but only after serving lovely candlelit dinners in evenings; different music served up each weeknight; crowd usually starts after midnight and continues till early morning hours.
●Spritz – 9 Ripa di Porta Ticinese (Navigli); 011-39-028-339-0192; spritz-navigli.it.
●Tocqueville 13 – 13 Via Alexis de Tocqueville; 011-39-022-900-2973; tokvill.com; stylish drinks are great; great dance floor.



HOTELS
●Armani Hotel Milano – 31 Via Manzani; 011-39-028-883-8381 or 866-539-0036; armanihotels.com.
●Bulgari Hotel Milan – 7b Via Privata Fratelli Gabba; 011-39-028-058-051; bulgarihotels.com; on private street by botanical garden; calm jewel in bustling city.
●Four Seasons Hotel Milano – 6-8 Via Gesu; 011-39-027-7088 or 800-819-5053; fourseasons.com/milan; former convent near fashion district; renaissance cloisters and frescoes; 18^th Century fireplace.
●Grand Hotel et de Milan – 29 Via Manzoni; 011-39-027-23141; grandhoteletdemilan.it; 95 rooms and suites; Giuseppe Verdi died here in 1901.
●Hotel Manzoni – 20 Via Santo Spirito; 011-39-027-600-5700; hotelmanzoni.com; 55 rooms and suites; no restaurant; reasonably priced.
●Hotel Milano Scala – 7 Via dell Orso; 011-39-028-70961; hotelmilanoscala.it; boutique.
●Hotel Spadari al Duomo – 11 Via Spadari; 011-39-027-200-2371; spadarihotel.com; best location in town.
●Maison Moschino – 12b Viale Monte Grappa; 011-39-022-900-9858; maisonmoschino.com.
●Park Hyatt Milan – 1 Via Tommaso Grossi; 011-39-028-821-1234; milan.park.hyatt.com; next to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II; classic interiors.
●Principe de Savoia – 17 Piazza della Repubblica; 011-39-026-2301; hotelprincipedisavoia.com.
●Sheraton Diana Majestic – 42 Viale Piave; 011-39-022-0581; dianamajestic.hotelsinmilan.it; 107-room modern hotel; located in city center, about mile from both shopping center (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele) and Duomo; on premises are Il Milanese Curioso Restaurant, Garden Restaurant, Diana Bar, and in warmer months, garden bar; exercise room and jogging facilities; can arrange golf at nearby course; 24-hour concierge, express checkout, and 24-hour room-service.
●Town House Galleria – 8 Via Pellico Silvio; 011-39-027-0156; townhouse.it; stiff rates; unparalleled location inside city’s iconic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II district; 1860s palazzo; décor unexpectedly restrained; double-height windows looks out into historic shopping arcade; late May best time of year; Vivaldi Suite has lovely frescoed ceiling.



RESTAURANTS
●De Abele – 5 Via Temperanza (M1 (red) metro to Pasteur stop); 011-39-022-613-855; unassuming trattoria northeast of city center where 3 risotti offered each night, options changing daily; risotto mecca.
●Antica Focacceria San Francesco – 15 Via San Paolo; 011-39-024-507-1057; afsf.it; family-friendly, cafeteria-style spot that serves up Sicilian food (ragu-stuffed arancini); 1^st outpost of this Palermo-based restaurant that is famous for not paying pizzo (protection money).
●Antico Ristorante Boeucc – 2 Piazza Belgioioso; 011-39-027-602-0224; boeucc.it; Missoni family favorite; traditional Milanese food.
●Giacomo Arengario – 1 Via Marconi; 011-39-027-209-3814; giacomoarengario.com; buzzy new restaurant.
●Il Bistrot – Piazza del Duomo (on La Rinascente department store’s 7^th floor); 011-39-028-8521; rinascente.it.
●Joe Cipolli – 33 Via Vigevano (Navigli); 011-39-025-811-4363; joecipolla.it; American-style steakhouse, done Italian-style; perfectly cooked steaks.
●Cova Pasticceria-Confetteria – 8 Via Montenapoleone; 011-39-027-600-5599; cova.biz; open Monday-Saturday, 8-8; established in 1817 as Milanese nobility club; now public tearoom frequented by their descendants; crystal chandeliers send splintered light across marble counters lined with panini with smoked salmon, Parma ham or thick chunks white lobster meat; open-faced panini include shrimp en gelee and chopped egg with black caviar; platters of quail eggs, olives, salamis, and cheeses.
●Don Carlos – 29 Via Manzoni (in Grand Hotel et de Milan); 011-39-027-231-4640; grandhoteletdemilan.it; specialties include Parma ham with mozzarella, risotto with artichokes and calamari, veal steak with grapes, currants and capers, and persimmon mousse with lemon sauce.
●Cracco – 4 Via Victor Hugo; 011-39-028-76774; ristorantecracco.com.it; elegant but over-top; on ground level, all you see is vestibule; take elevator down 2 stories; extraordinarily expensive and meals sometimes inventive to point of absurdity; stick to Italian items; superb ravioli; also, chef is extremely handsome.
●Ristorante Da Giacomo di Monti Marco & C. Sas – 6 Via Pasquale Sottocorno (on corner of Via Benvenuto Cellini); 011-39-027-602-3313; great, traditional seafood; try Astice alla Catalana.
●Ham Holy Burger – 15 Via Palermo; 011-39-028-75510; hamholyburger.com; gourmet hamburger eatery.
●Latteria di San Marco – 24 Via San Marco; 011-39-026-597-653; no reservations spot where even celebrities have to wait; Missoni family favorite; home-style Milanese fare.
●Innocenti Evasioni – Via Privata della Bindellina; 011-39-023-300-1882; innocentievasioni.com; only business on narrow street labeled "private"; molecular gastronomy to point that meals are sometimes unidentifiable; lovely lush garden to look at, though.
●Just Cavalli Cafe – 6 Viale Camoens; 011-39-023-11817; justcavallihollywood.it; great people-watching.
●Don Lisander – 12a Via Manzoni; 011-39-027-602-0130; ristorantedonlisander.it; specialties include salmon tartare, duck tortelli with tomato and basil sauce, osso buco with risotto alla Milanese, and strawberry bavarois with vanilla sauce; closed Sundays; 16^th Century villa; open since 1947; known for extensive wine cellar; 200 diners can sit in courtyard until winter, when they retreat to villa’s former chapel, which holds only 50.
●Al Mercato Ristorante & Burger Bar – 16 Via Sant’Eufemia; 011-39-028-723-7167; al-mercato.it; half is more formal, tasting menu type place (10 course meals); other half is more casual high-end hamburgers made with expensive ingredienta and beef cuts.
●Old Fashion Cafe – 6 Viale Alemagna; 011-39-028-056-231; oldfashion.it; among Milan’s 1^st discos, continues to pump out tunes, but only after serving lovely candlelit dinners in evenings; different music served up each weeknight; crowd usually starts after midnight and continues till early morning hours.
●Princi – 5 Piazza XXV Aprile; 011-39-029-060-832; princi.it; chic organic bakery that is all things to all people; great food; uniforms by Armani.
●Savini – 11 Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (at Turin Hotel); 011-39-027-200-3433; savinimilano.it; elegant, landmark restaurant; business casual.
●Il Teatro – 6-8 Via Gesu (in Four Seasons Hotel Milano); 011-39-027-7088 or 800-332-3442; fourseasons.com/milan; specialties include marinated salmon with caviar, risotto with saffron and wild mushrooms, beef fillet in Barbaresco sauce and chocolate mousse with passion fruit.
●10 Corso Como – 10 Corso Como; 011-39-022-900-2674; 10corsocomo.com.
●Tizzy’s NY Bar & Grill – 46 Alzaia Naviglio Grande; 011-39-025-811-8227; casual, American burger joint.
●Tocqueville 13 – 13 Via Alexis de Tocqueville; 011-39-022-900-2973; tokvill.com; prides itself on patent chic (“sort of like dinner on ecstasy, but more respectable”); mirror-filled restaurant unusually sultry, yet somehow elegant; fine fusion of French and Italian bistro creates exciting and varied plates; stylish drinks are great; great dance floor.
●Trattoria Toscana Torre di Pisa – 21 Via Fiori Chiari; 011-39-028-74877; trattoriatorredipisa.it; specialties include Tuscan dishes as crostini, Tuscan ham, homemade ravioli and gnocchi, and chestnut tart; open lunch and dinner, Monday-Friday, and dinner on Saturday; specialties include risotto with mushrooms, vitello tonnato, creamy gnocchi, and Milanese version of pot roast.
●Trita Tailor Made Burgers – 6 Piazza XXIV Maggio; trita.it; among best hamburgers places in city, combining fast food style with restaurant quality; no menu; everything you need to know is written on blackboards; just tell waiter how you want your burger & then sit and wait for chef to call you; try Bufalo campano or Limousine padana meat.
●202 Hamburger & Delicious – 6 Corso Di Porta Ticinese; 011-39-028-366-0635; 202hamburger.com; American-style hamburgers.
●Zucca e Melone – 3 Via Gian Giacomo Mora; 011-39-028-945-5850; ristorantezuccaemelone.it; fresh farmhouse feel restaurant with absurd décor.



SERVICES
●Bulgari Hotel Milan Spa – 7b Via Privata Fratelli Gabba; 011-39-028-058-051; bulgarihotels.com; arrive early for solitary dip in pool and undisturbed hammam steam.



SHOPPING
●Armani Casa – 9 Via Sant’Andrea; 011-39-026-572-401; armanicasa.com; home furnishings.
●Giampiero Bodino – 9 Via Mozart; 011-39-023-031-4777; giampierobodino.com; bespoke jewelry; in 1930s mansion.
●Costanza Algranti – 28 Via Guglielmo Pepe; 011-39-033-5544-7242; costanzaalgranti.it; contemporary home furnishings out of recycled metals and woods.
●Brera – neighborhood that is home to Accademia delle Belle Arti, Bohemian-type neighborhood hosting number high-quality leather shops, great for purses, shoes, and clothes; also known for antiques and art.
●Calderoni Gioielli – 23 Via Montenapoleone; 011-39-027-600-1293; jewelry and silver.
●Monica Castiglioni – 4 Via Pastrengo; 011-39-028-723-7979; monicacastiglioni.com; eye-catching jewelry; affordable.
●Corso di Porta Ticinese – trendy street, which Via Torino connects to Duomo; 2^nd-hand shops and boutiques; more youth oriented.
●Ditta Maglia Francesco – 194 Via Giuseppe Ripamonti; 011-39-025-521-9333; ombrellimaglia.it; 150 year-old umbrella manufacturer.
●Fratelli Galantino – 12 Via Solferino; 011-39-026-599-730; fratelligalantino.it; jewel-box produce store.
●Hangar-Bicocca – 2 Via Privata Chiese; 011-39-026-611-1573; hangarbicocca.it; gallery featurig some of Europe’s most prominent artists, such as Anselm Kiefer.
●G. Lorenzi – 9 Via Montenapoleone; 011-39-027-602-2848; lorenzi.it; legendary 1929 store for “men’s objects” (briarwood pipes with ivory mouthpieces, & horn-handled knife sets, silver razors); ask for trip downstairs to see antique tobacco boxes).
●Sara Rotta Loria – 7 Via Pastrengo; 011-39-022-316-7868; sararottaloria.com; children’s clothing.
●Lula Cioccolato – 17 Via Fiamma (at corner of Via Archimede/Angolo); 011-39-027-000-6915; lula-milano.com/it; chocolates.
●Navigili – ancient district with flea market (huge), held along Navigili Grande canal last Sunday every month except July.
●Numero 9 – 9 Via Pastrengo; 011-39-026-880-1669; high-end flower shop.
●La Rinascente – Piazza del Duomo; 011-39-028-8521; rinascente.it; department store.
●Il Salvagente – 16 Via Fratelli Bronzetti; 011-39-027-611-0328; outside city center; stock house carries designer brands at deep discounts; 2 stories; requires stamina.
●Skitsch – 11 Via Monte di Pieta; 011-39-023-663-3065; skitsch.it; fashion and home accessories.
●Spazio Rossana Orlandi – 14/16 Via Matteo Bandello; 011-39-024-674-471; rossanaorlandi.com; gallery, retail store, and showroom with design-y, fantastic art and design pieces.
●10 Corso Como – 10 Corso Como; 011-39-022-900-2674; 10corsocomo.com; everything from home furnishings to great clothes; also, great restaurant and art exhibits.
●Via Della Spiga – pedestrian boulevard lined with grand Victorian buildings; excellent shopping.
●Via Montenapoleone – most famous fashion street.



SIGHTS & SITES
●Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio – 15 Piazza Sant’Ambrogio; 011-39-028-645-0895; basilicasantambrogio.it; among Milan’s most ancient churches; built by St. Ambrose in 379-386 CE; after its construction, several restorations and partial reconstructions, assuming current appearance in 12^th Century, when rebuilt in Romanesque style; in 789, monastery established within basilica grounds; in August 1943, Anglo-American bombings heavily damaged basilica, in particular apse and surrounding area; as result, new building, painted in pink, constructed to house Abbott’s offices & museum; apse houses heavily restored (after WWII destructions) mosaic, portraying Christ Pantokrator with Sts. Gervasus & Protasus and, at sides, scenes from St. Ambrose’s life (dating from early 13^th Century); oratory of San Vittore in Ciel d’Oro, built in 4^th by Bishop Maternus, houses 5^th Century mosaics on ceiling & walls.
●Biblioteca Ambrosiana – 2 Piazza Pio XI; 011-39-02-806-921; ambrosiana.it; note, see Caravaggio’s Canestra di Frutta (Basket of Fruit) (1596).
●Brera Fine Arts Academy – 28 Via Brera; 011-39-02-869-551; accademiadibrera.milano.it; note, see Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus (1606), Bellini’s La Pietà and Mantegna’s Lamentation over Dead Christ.
●Casa del Manzoni – 1 Via Gerolamo Morone; 011-39-028-646-0403; casadelmanzoni.mi.it.
●Castello Sforzesco – Piazza Castello; 011-39-028-846-3700; milanocastello.it; built in 15^th Century by Milan Duke Francesco Sforza on 14^th Century fortification remains; enlarged & renovated in 16-17^th Centuries; now houses several of city’s art collections & museums: Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco (includes Andrea Mantegna’s Trivulzio Madonna and masterpieces by Canaletto, Tiepolo, Vincenzo Foppa, Tiziano Vecellio & Tintoretto), Museum of Ancient Art (includes Michelangelo’s last sculpture, Rondanini Pietà), Museum of Musical Instruments, Egyptian Museum, Archaeological Museum of Milan’s prehistoric collection, Applied Arts Collection, Antique Furniture & Wooden Sculpture Museum, Achille Bertarelli Print Collection & Trivulziana Library (includes Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Trivulzianus manuscript; also, in 2012, new paintings attributable to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio discovered at castle.
●Collezione Maramotti – 66 Via Fratelli Cervi (Reggio Emilia); 011-39-052-238-2484; collezionemaramotti.org; modern art collection gathered by Max Mara founder.
●Corso Magenta and Via Torino – area between; tiny streets, old buildings, peaceful atmosphere; end in Piazza San Alessandro.
●Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie – 2 Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie; 011-39-024-676-111; cenacolovinciano.it; Last Supper.
●Duomo – 1 Piazza del Duomo; 011-39-028-60358; when Milanese think something takes too long, say la fabricca del duomo ("making Duomo"), referring to 5 centuries taken to complete magnificent Gothic cathedral; recently renovated; last of Italy’s great Gothic structures (begun by ruling Visconti family in 1386); 4^th-largest church in world (after St. Peter’s in Rome, Seville’s cathedral, and new one on Ivory Coast), with 135 marble spires, stunning triangular facade, and 3.4K statues flanking exterior; cavernous interior lit by brilliant stained-glass windows; seats 40K but unusually Spartan; divided into 5 aisles by 52 columns; monuments include gruesomely graphic statue of St. Bartholomew (flayed); tombs include Giacomo de Medici, 2 Visconti, and many cardinals (San Carlo Borromeo) and archbishops; views Alps from roof (elevators on church’s exterior northeast corner; stairs on exterior north side), where can wander among Gothic pinnacles, saintly statues, and flying buttresses; spire-topped by gold Madonnina ("little Madonna"), city’s beloved protectress; down staircase to right of main entrance is Battistero Paleocristiano, 4^th Century baptistery ruins believed to be where St. Ambrose baptized St. Augustine; includes statue of flayed body by Phidias & 15K types marble on roof.
●Fiera di Senigallia – Via Fiori Chiari; fantastic flea market held 3^rd Saturday each month.
●Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – Piazza del Duomo; framed by immense archway, Galleria opens off Piazza del Duomo’s northern flank; glass-and-steel-roofed shopping arcade shaped like crucifix; home to elegant boutiques, cafes, and hotel; Giuseppe Mengoni designed as modern Milan showpiece; tragically, he plummeted to his death from scaffolding just weeks before his 14-year tour de force completed in 1877; Milanese tradition claims you can avoid his bad luck by grinding your heel into floor’s mosaic bull’s testicles (just left of central cross if facing north).
●HangarBicocca – 2 Via Privata Chiese (city’s northern limits); 011-39-026-611-1573; hangarbicocca.it; cavernous space bursting with art installations, including work by Anselm Kiefer.
●La Scala – 2 Via Filodrammatici; 011-39-027-200-3744; teatroallascala.org.
●Museo Bagatti Valsecchi – 10 Via Santo Spirito at 5 Via Gesu (Montenapoleone); 011-39-027-600-6132; museobagattivalsecchi.org; not-for-profit historic house; Barons Bagatti Valsecchi’s Italian Renaissance art & decorative arts collections; as significant for ambience as collection.
●Museo Civico d’Arte Contemporanea – 14 Piazza del Duomo; 011-39-028-60358; works by living artists and such masters as De Chirico and Modigliani.
●Museo del Duomo – 14 Piazza del Duomo; 011-39-028-60358; houses many Duomo treasures (closed for restoration in 2007 without definite reopening date); Jacopo Tintoretto’s Christ at Temple.
●Museo del Novecento – Palazzo dell’Arengario, Piazza del Duomo; 011-39-028-844-4061; museodelnovecento.org; 20^th Century art.
●Museo Poldi Pezzoli – 12 Via Manzoni; 011-39-027-80872; open Tuesday-Sunday (9:30-12:30 and 2:30-6).
●Navigli – canals in neighborhood originally designed, in part, by Da Vinci; among city’s hottest nightlife areas.
●Pinacoteca Ambrosiana – 2 Piazza Pio XI; 011-39-028-06921; ambrosiana.it; newly restored galleries; collection focuses on 15^th-17^th Centuries; Adoration (Titian); Raphael’s cartoon for School of Athens; Botticelli’s Madonna and Angels; and Caravaggio’s Basket of Fruit; see also Portrait of Musician, attributed to Leonardo; adjoining Biblioteca Ambrosiana – open (except for special exhibitions) only to scholars – houses Renaissance literaria, including Lucrezia Borgia’s letters and Leonardo’s Codice Atlantico.
●Pinacoteca di Brera – 28 Via Brera; 011-39-027-226-3264; brera.beniculturali.it; open Tuesday-Saturday, 9-6 and on Sunday (9-1); among world’s foremost collection Italian paintings; part of Brera Academy, which shares site in Palazzo Brera.
●Poldi Pezzoli Museum – 12 Via Alessandro Manzoni; 011-39-027-94889; museopoldipezzoli.it; 19^th Century Milanese collector’s former home; now holds vast array collections (furniture, jewelry, paintings, and tapestries); must see.
●Santa Maria del Carmine Church – 2 Piazza del Carmine (Brera); 011-39-028-646-3345; chiesadelcarmine.it; surrounding neighborhood also worth walking around.
●Triennale Design Museum – 6 Viale Alemagna; 011-39-027-24341; triennale.org; museum on Parco Sempione’s leafy edge; 1^st dedicated solely to Italian design; special admission rates on Thursday and Friday evenings.
●Via Montenapoleone – Milan’s main haute couture avenue.
●Villa Necchi – 14 Via Mozart; 011-39-027-634-0121; casemuseo.it; former home of sisters Gigina and Nedda Necchi, and Gigina’s husband, Angelo Campiglio; they were signficant sewing machine producers in mid-20^th Century; architecturally, structure is early modernist masterpiece; has survived completely intact, both inside and out (ample yard, pool, and tennis court); in addition to house itself, 2 noteworthy collections: (1) Claudia Gian Ferrari’s collection early 20^th Century art and (2) Alighiero De’ Micheli’s 18^th Century decorative arts and paintings.