Be Fabulous in Milano

July 19, 2019

Be Fabulous in Milano

Hello Gorgeous!!!

I'm back from a 2 weeks UK trip. So, here we are catching up on the 2018 summer-trip. After Cologne, we headed to Milan and Florence, Italy. Let's start in Milan first!

In a customized denim dungaree from Pich_Studio, vintage scarf, and Miu Miu sunglasses

Even though I'd been to Milan work-related two times before, I still requested to go there as I wanted to really spend more time there and explore the city. I will cover the whole travel tips & tricks for you just in case you've never been to Milan before.

After we arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport, we decided to use the airport transfer bus which is the cheapest and quite convenient transportation. Actually, there are a few options to get you into the city:

A taxi will cost you around 100 €. This is the most convenient mode of transport and you can reach your hotel door without the hassle with your luggage.
Train from Malpensa to Centrale station: cost around 16€. You might still have to catch a taxi to your hotel though.
The airport bus cost 8€. You can find these buses outside of the exit number 4 and walk across the street. There will be many buses with the money collector guys standing in front of the bus. You can pick any bus that has Centrale sign at the front. This bus ride takes around one hour and you can catch a taxi to your accommodation at the train station.

We booked Air BnB for the whole stay in Italy. In Milan, we stayed at an apartment in Corso Genova. It's in a convenient location with walking distance to city center and other tourist attractions. There are many choices of transportation in Milan from walking, tram, renting one of the readily available bicycles, underground and taxi. Mostly we preferred walking and tram as you can see more of the city and stop wherever you want.

I'd suggest you to load the "CityMapper" app to your iPhone to help navigating you around. It's very useful and easy to use. The app is available for most of the big cities like London, Paris, Milan, New York and etc.

Italian summers can be very hot with strong sunlight. So, be well prepared with sunblock and other protections from the heat and drink plenty of water. It's so much nicer to be in Milan in the summertime as the city is in the north. It can be quite miserable with a grey sky and raining in wintertime. Personally, I prefer to travel during summer as I can travel lighter with more clothing options compared to winter.

Day 1

We started with a relaxing day on foot to the city center. The best place to start is Milan Duomo as you can easily walk around from this iconic landmark which you need to visit when you are in Milan. One thing that you need to keep in mind as a tourist, you need to be mindful of your belongings at all time especially in tourist spots. There are so many risks from pickpocketing and don't talk or receive anything from strangers. Duomo can be very busy and packed with tourist and these petty thieves. My advice would be to keep your bag in front where you can see and don't dress too flashy with your expensive accessories to attract these people.

Milano Duomo

This trip was my fiance's first time to Milan so I took him to the best place for aperitivo in town - Marchesi in Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle. Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle is a historical landmark that is a big shopping center within walking distance from Milano Duomo. You can find all the luxury brands here and also many nice cafes and restaurants.

Marchesi is one of the historic patisseries in Milan since 1824 which now under Prada group. I'd been to this cafe many times and still love to go there for a coffee or dolce. There is a light lunch menu as well in this branch. You will fall in love with the beautiful decoration from the flower silk wall and all the pastel color dolce and chocolate decorated in the antique wooden showcases. When you are in Italy, it is advisable to try aperitif in the evening. Locals here love to gather with their friends for a drink after work before dinner time, it could be a glass of wine, Aperol Spritz to Negroni.

In Wi-Jitr (@wijitr.official) military jacket, Miu Miu sneakers, and vintage pouch.

Negroni and Aperol Spritz

Another thing you'll have to try is gelato, there are many nice gelato shops in the city and we literally tried in every street corners we found. The most popular one I would recommend is Grom and my favorite flavor is pistachio. There is a branch near Galleria via Santa Margherita to stop for ice cream treat after your shopping spree.

Day 2

To do: We also took it easy to walk around the city to explore vintage stores and cafes. If you want to shop, the best area to go to is Monte Napoleone. There are many luxury brands and cute shops along these beautiful streets. After that, we continue walking to Brera which is not far from there. In Brera, you will find a totally different feeling from buzzing and busy area in Monte to this old charm and quiet area. There are small shops of vintage clothes, stationaries and etc. You can also take a bike ride there but we found difficulty with the bike renting machine and gave up in the end.

To eat: I requested to go to a gorgeous bar near Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli called "Lu Bar"(Via Palestro, 16) A nice place for people watching, brunch or dinner. We really love the food, coffee, and the atmosphere. Highly recommended!

For dinner, we got a recommendation from my friend to go to "Cantina della Vetra"(Via Pio IV, 3, 20123). We really love the food, service and the place.

Day 3

To do: We headed to Lake Como by a train ride which you can also search the direction in City Mapper app as well. There are many villages along the lake and you can decide which village you'd like to stop. We didn't have much time so decided to only stop at "Bellagio". It's known for its cobbled lanes and beautiful building along with the cobbles staircases. The lake view at the pier is spectacular so I would recommend having lunch at one of the restaurants there. You can check the timetable at the pier so you can gauge how you want to spend time there.

View from the ferry

Bellagio Pier

A view from the pier: in a vintage skirt, Castaner espadrilles, sunglasses/earrings from Miu Miu, and a vintage pouch.

To drink: After a long day and back to the city, our aperitif destination today was requested by my man who is a big Negroni fan to "Bar Basso"( Via Plinio, 39) The legendary bar for its invention of Negroni Sbagliatos. You will find many beautiful locals hanging out here and it was fun to see this kind of atmosphere, families, and friends hanging out.