Milan surprised me over and over. Elegant, sophisticated - yes, but hip, fun and colourful was also on the cards. Milan is historic, noble and grand, that is true. A white Gothic Cathedral at centre stage sets the scene in the Piazza del Duomo. I am haunted by that beauty when I think about this city. And that marvellous Castello Sforzesco where family and friends walk or bicycle or picnic on a Saturday. I thought it would be intimidating as a fashion mecca and design heaven, but it is open and more casual than I expected. A modern city with hip bars and a vibrant aperitivo scene. I loved walking via the charming Porta Ticiniese and onto the Navigli Grande where the colourful street scene is alive to the good things in life. Everyone is outside and everyone is welcome. Friends are gathered sipping spritz at midday, happy to sit and talk - you just want to join in on the fun.
I delighted in wandering the romantic streets of Brera and the Navigli Canals, stopping to gulp vast quantities of Risotto alls Milanese with osso bucco and a red velvet vino that elevated and transported. I even marvelled at that fascist central station, a monolithic concert jungle, alert to its complicated and horrendous past. I visited Binario 21 just to understand. I visited the moderns at the Novocento, the Palazzo Reale and the Pinacoteca to soak in the artistic heritage of the Italians - we have Napoleon to thank for this wonderful collection, his mission was to create the Italian Louvre of Italy.
Never mind the possibility of seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper - A wise visitor will book their ticket early. I walked the Quadrilateral della Moda and the Quadrilateral del Silenzio admiring the stunning architecture and green walled gardens on the way to the must see Villa Necchi Campiglio. Still a modern masterpiece, a hundred years on (think House of Gucci & I am Love).
I wondered, why traveler’s don’t make more time for Milan - this is a great Italian city.
When I wasn’t in Italy I sunk into the chair with Mamma Milano, a bright coffee table book that recounts a twenty year journey moving to Italy and creating an unexpected fashion house. I couldn’t help but do a podcast about J.J Martin’s visionary talent as a creative woman, as someone who had a bunch ofcolourful Italian Lessons to share. I loved visiting her store on Sant’ Andrea - I was a woman on the verge, a woman with her heart full, on a travel journey, seeking art and beauty in Italy.
“In Milan, one feels at once the charm of a great city and the sweetness of Italian life” - Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle)
