Get an insider’s perspective on the Italian city’s time-honoured history, art, and design.
Known for its confidence and cool, Milan hides its finest treasures in hidden gardens, alleyways, and far-flung neighbourhoods.
There is a lot to discover in this sprawling, fast-paced city. The 60th Salone del Mobile, the international furniture fair that drives Milan’s annual design week, which returned in June with its first full-scale event since 2019, christened new destinations for architecture and design.
A new cultural scene is reviving defunct industrial spaces, a diverse culinary scene is blossoming, and unexpected discoveries await travelers in this resilient, resurgent, and stylish city.
The latest Salone del Mobile was abuzz with the grand opening of Dimorecentrale, the new home of architecture and design firm Dimorestudio. Positioned by a central train station in a former railway warehouse, this expansive cultural hub offers 20,000 square feet of space with a concrete center courtyard. Its studio and office areas are complemented by an art gallery; this area features pieces that exemplify the studio’s signature eccentric elegance. Additionally, patrons can look forward to the future opening of a bar and shop stocked with carefully selected items chosen by Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran themselves.
In Milan, aperitivo is still associated with cloyingly sweet spritzes and cheap buffets. At e/n enoteca naturale, a natural wine bar beside Sant’Eustorgio Basilica, you won’t suffer either.
Atmosphere abounds at Osteria Alla Concorrenza, a restaurant opened last year by Diego Rossi – celebrated chef of Trippa and one of the toughest tables to get in town. The wine flows freely here, while guests tuck into crostoni dishes both classic (lardo, pesto and Parmigiano) and inventive (pancetta and artichoke), as well as focaccia stuffed with mortadella and cheese or beef tongue with pickled vegetables. And since all food is served on paper plates, guests can simply enjoy the evening without a care in the world – remembering to book ahead, though! For two people, expect to shell out 60 euros for an incredible dining experience.
