A WEEKEND IN | CABANA TRAVEL | CABANA MAGAZINE
If you're heading to Milan for Salone Del Mobile 2024, read on for highly curated insider tips from our Milan City Guide, produced in partnership with Ralph Lauren. Here, we share some of our favorite places to eat, shop and stay in Milan - from cozy hotels to romantic restaurants, old-world ateliers and hidden hotspots.
BY SARA PIERDONÀ | MILAN CITY GUIDE | APRIL 2024
The public spaces of Portrait Milano unfold like a modern western chahar bagh around the sun-drenched 17th-century colonnade © Portrait Milano
Milan is a city of contrasts, conjuring both the old and new world in equal measure. Yes, it is a buzzing cosmopolitan capital, strongly associated with contemporary architecture, fashion and design, but it is also elegant, discreet and anchored in tradition. Visitors who arrive with one image of Milan may find something quite different, for Milan has many charms and does not reveal its secrets too easily.
Where to Stay
Grand Hotel et de Milan: An institution. Helped by its strategic location, it became the hotel of choice for diplomats and businessmen from the end of the 19th century, also thanks to the exceptional presence of a telegraph. But artists and men of letters did not disdain it either, and in their case one can imagine that they were rather attracted by the intriguing neo-Gothic architecture, the winter garden or the convenience of an avant-garde hydraulic lift (restored and still functioning perfectly!)
Portrait Milano: Stepping through the superb Baroque portal by Francesco Maria Richini, one enters a grand and solemn dimension of silence and space. The public spaces of Portrait Milano unfold like a modern western chahar bagh around the sun-drenched 17th-century colonnade. Inside, the rooms’ inspiration comes from classic Milanese living rooms of the 1950s, but it is the details that are the real joy to behold. Florentine craftsmen have expressed their virtuosity to the fullest here with leather handles, door frames made of piperino, and fine furniture.
Grand Hotel et de Milan: A Milanese institution © Grand Hotel et de Milan
Where to Shop
Cabana Store: Celebrating its 10 Year Anniversary, Cabana debuts its inaugural retail space in its hometown of Milan. The store’s interiors, designed by co-founders Martina Mondadori and Christoph Radl, were conceived as an extension of Casa Cabana, Martina's childhood home decorated by Renzo Mongiardino. A space in which to linger over beautifully handcrafted objects, browse vintage finds, or page through a carefully curated selection of books and magazines. Via Borgospesso 8, Milano
Fratelli Galantino: A grocer's with a difference; their fresh fruits and vegetables are so beautiful that if a photoshoot calls for a still life, this is where the assistants are sent.
Oro Incenso E Mirra: Back in the 1960s, well-heeled Milanese ladies were wearing anonymous pearl necklaces when Giovanna Frossi returned from India with incredible Mogul necklaces and multicolored bracelets. Since then, she has never stopped. A true globetrotter, the jewelry and objects on display in her shop bear witness to exotic places and sumptuous times, as well as her personal adventures.
The Cabana Store is officially open, designed by Cabana co-founders Martina Mondadori and Christoph Radl; Via Borgospesso 8, Milano
Arjumand's World: The brand of fabrics and wallpapers founded by decorator and textile designer, Idarica Gazzoni, bears the name of Arjumand, the Mughal princess to whom the Taj Mahal was dedicated. Idarica's wonderful shop on Via Santa Marta is cosy and full of exuberant, colorful fabrics and papers: from patterns inspired by Mongolia to those extrapolated from Japanese screens; from ikat to gold leaf.
Maddalena Tabasso Antichità: The curious objects and antiques in this shop speak for themselves, but if you want to know more, have a chat with Maddalena and her mother who, with their telepathic abilities and repertoire of quips, seem to have stepped out of a moving Nora Ephron film. Maddalena’s grandfather had seven children, four of whom went on to become antique dealers. A special family, a special shop. Read more.
Nuova Arte Viva: Inside a residential building on a quiet street, accessed by via a button on the intercom that reads simply, ‘lampshades’, you will find the 'Nuova Arte Viva' workshop. Odette's creations, which you will find inside, are pure masterpieces: brightly colored lampshades, garnished with sumptuous trimmings.
Arjumand's World: Idarica Gazzoni's wonderful shop on Via Santa Marta is cosy and full of exuberant, colorful fabrics and papers.
Where to Eat
Fioraio Bianchi: According to Jonathan Franzen, the pressure to fall in love in Paris is so strong that it becomes almost inhibiting. The same could be said for Fioraio Bianchi (pictured below), which seems to have been designed for romantic, whispered dinners.
Trattoria Milanese Dal 1933: For anyone in the difficult position of having to defend Milanese cuisine, this is the place to bring guests. Apart from a few concessions, all the dishes are decidedly Lombard. You’ll find mondeghili, costoletta, valdostana and risotto with ossobuco. Don’t let the title ‘trattoria’ fool you: the staff wear bow ties, there’s a good wine list and it's popular with families when there's something to celebrate.
Giacomo Milano: A Milanese icon for 65 years, Giacomo Milano hardly needs any introduction. With interiors designed by Renzo Mongiardino and delicious, traditional Italian comfort food with a modern twist, this warm, convivial restaurant is definitely one of our forever favorites. Don’t miss it, but do book ahead.
Fioraio Bianchi seems to have been designed for romantic, whispered dinners.
What to See & Do
Moshe Tabibnia: This gallery on Via Brera has taken on a museum-like imprint, from the highly effective presentation to the idea of guided tours by appointment, even for the merely curious, who will be astounded by the unexpected visual power of a Serapi or a Kuba. The display changes every few months and to find out more, start at the specialized library on the second floor of the gallery.
Museo Bagatti Valsecchi: Nowhere else will you find such an astonishing blend of a Mantuan ducal palace and Huysmans’ À rebours. Each room is so dripping with secret and exquisite detail that it is difficult to take in at a glance. The profusion of monstrances and skulls is balanced by cherubs and cornucopias, and next to luminous Tuscan majolica we see medieval instruments of war.
Chiesa Di San Maurizio Al Monastero Maggiore: The building stands on the remains of ancient Roman buildings and, today, is one of the Touring Club’s most popular tourist sites. The explanation is simple: the interior is wonderful. The architecture was conceived to be completely covered and camouflaged by the wall decoration, which is now considered the most important specimen of 16th-century Milanese painting. But perhaps what deserves the most attention are the frescoes by Bernardino Luini, who was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci.
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