We arrived in Milan on Sept. 23 and immediately went to The Plum Guide apartment in the centro. It was a short walk to the Duomo and the location was just what I was hoping for except it apartment was at the intersection of 3 tram lines. It was very noisy and waking up at 5:15 with the sensation a tram is in the living room is not what you want on your vacation. We were luckily able to find a great hotel called Room Mates, and it mad such a big difference for us. It was a fairly new hotel and they emphasized being green as part of its mission statement. We we look for other Room Mate hotels when we travel.
Our second day in Milan started with a visit to the Starbucks Coffee Roastery. It was the firs Starbucks in Italy and it was built like a museum to coffee. The Italians hated the concept of Starbucks coming to Italy, but after they saw the final product they said -“hey that’s not too bad”. Anyway we overpaid for an Americano and Cappuccino, but it was pretty tasty. We then meet the Context tour guide – Elena for our city tour. I thought she did a good job of giving us an overview of the city and she started with the Duomo. The Duomo is a Gothic style church which is stunning from the outside and a little disappointing on the inside. It was dark due to the stained window and busy with tourists. It was hard to find a peaceful spot. We went into the sub level with Elena and she laid out the history of the church and how it was built on the grounds of other churches. After the Duomo we did a quick stop at Santa Maria presso San Satiro church
a stones throw from the Duomo, the tiny church of is the place where the architect Donato Bramante could unveil his talent for perspective. The architect was challenged by the narrow space squeezed between other buildings right in the centre of Milan. He resolved the problem with an amazing optical illusion transforming the small space of the presbytery, about 3 feet of space (97 centimeters), into an apse many meters deep.
You have to see it with your own eyes.
After the church we toured the grounds of the Sforzesco Castello. We just walked the grounds with Elena and finished our tour and she guided us to a restaurant in the Brera for lunch.
Restaurants
Giacomo Arengario http://www.giacomoarengario.com/ – Located across the piazza from the Duomo, with incredible views. We had happy hour there 3 time during our trip because we were staring right at the Duomo. The brought a lot of appetizers to go with an 18 Euro spritz! The dinner we had was decent, but not worth a return trip. It was at the end of Fashion week and the restaurant was crowded with large business groups. We split an antipasto of asparagus, flat beans and anchovies. We also split the Spaghetto with tomatoes and basil and the secondo was nice combination of beef cheeks and scallops.
Antica Trattoria della Pesa http://www.anticatrattoriadellapesa.com/ – the oldest trattoria in Milan. We had a great lunch there after we searched a bit to find the restaurant. It was an Elizabeth Minchilli recommendation. We split the Cotoletta. It was large thin piece (plenty to share), slightly breaded with no sauce. It the traditional Milanese dish and it was delicious.
Rigolo https://www.ristoranterigolo.it/en-gb/home – This is not a Milanese but a Tuscan restaurant in the middle of the Brera district. This is a classic old school restaurant with very good service. We shared a porcini flan to start, and then shared a grilled Branzino. The fish was done with simple herbs and lemon, and was very tasty.
Cantina della Vetra http://www.cantinadellavetra.it/en/ – The restaurant is about a 15 minute walk from the Duomo near the Porta Ticinese (gate to Ticino, a river in the Po Valley). We were able to eat outside and were treated to one of our best meals in Milan. We tried the Gnocchi Fritto with their fresh burrata cheese and local cold cuts. We then shared the Ossobuco with risotto. It was delicious, the risotto was not too heavy and one portion did the trick for both of us. The service was very attentive and the half bottle of Brunello was the perfect wine.
Alla Collina Pistoiese https://www.allacollinapistoiese.it/ – The restaurant is located near the Porta Ticinese and has been open since 1928 serving Tuscan style dishes. We shared the Tortelloni Meneghina which are large ravioli originating from the Maremma in Tuscany. The main course was Branzino with a side of spinacci with garlic. The service here was slow and the staff was not very attentive, and the food was just okay. There were a number of locals who brought their dogs.
Nabucco https://nabucco.it/en/ – Popular Milan restaurant in the Brera. We had a delicious meal, though the service was a little slow. It was a busy night. We shared the Fiore di Zuca (stuffed with ricotta and anchovy), followed by the Pappardelle with sausage ragu (yum), and then the Ossobuco with risotto. The ossobuco & risotto is another classic Milanese dish. The food was superb and I would highly recommend the restaurant.
Ristorante Osaka https://www.milanoosaka.com/ – We had lunch here. It was near the Sforzesco Castello. I was a nice find we were both nursing small cols and they had a number of broth options.
Officina 12 http://www.officina12.it/officina12-en.html – This restaurant is located in the Navigli canal district. The restaurant is located on the Navigli Grande and has pleasant outdoor seating and and an interesting menu. It also a bar that specializes in Gin and has at least 50 or so bottles on display. We had a nice linch consisting of caprese salad and maltagliati pasta wit pomodori and formaggio.
.