milan – well hello lovie

Well hello lovie!

What a treat, 3 days in Milan and I’m leaving so inspired! Design….it’s everywhere. From the beautiful shop window displays, to the stunning architecture, to the way the women dress and to the food presentation….and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ll certainly be taking away some new ideas and will fondly think of Milan as my design capital of the world. I based myself predominantly in Brera which is considered the artist district, so here’s some of my takeaways:

eat/drink

Dry Bar – it’s part cocktail bar, part restaurant (specialising in pizza) and part aperitivo – make a booking or try your luck

Princi Bakery – this became my regular breakfast/lunch go to place. Cheap, friendly and incredibly tasty! Croissants to grilled topped focaccia to espresso.

Eataly – an Italian food hall on steroids – seriously! 3 levels of everything and anything Italian (cheese, meats, wine, fruit/veg, gelato, espresso to name a few). They also have 2 restaurants, one casual pizza/pasta, the other more upmarket. I could live in this place and die happy!

Proscuitto hanging at Eataly

3 levels of foodie heaven

Who doesn’t love chilli?

shop

Brera district – artisan jewellers, bespoke perfumeries, leather goods, boutique clothes and a few vintage shops thrown in. My top pick was the shop of Angela Caputi who is based in Florence and I’ll be revisiting when I arrive there – I did purchase some bold white/black earrings which I think will get a great price per wear ratio.

Quadrilatero d’Oro – if you’re cashed up this is the place to go. Known as the Golden Quadrilateral, it’s a fashion district in the streets north of the Duomo. Prada, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbano – you get the idea!

do
Duomo – this goes without saying. The Italian Gothic style is incredibly intricate and you could spend hours just taking in the detail of the exterior. I understand now why it took six centuries to complete! (Just watch out for the men who offer to take a photo of you with your own camera who of course will then run off with it!)
Sforza Castle – I spent hours exploring the castle taking in the grandeur of the design along with the surrounding moat (now filled with grass) which took my breath away. I continued through the attached Sempione Park and loved seeing the Milanese exercising, having picnics, eating/drinking and celebrating the good life. A beautiful way to spend a few hours wandering.

stay
Personally, I prefer to stay away from the main tourist area and experience living in the region as authentically as possible. On this trip I stayed at Zebra Verde and the apartment exceeded my expectations! Original design and architecture, clean, stylishly decorated, large for a one bedroom and the bed was super comfy!

How did I spend most of my time? Literally walking the streets. No tourist bus or tour for me – I get my joy by wandering with no map, taking in the sights and coming upon the unexpected. Milan was a true delight – even the dogs strutted with style!

Be fabulous xx

Well hello lovie!

it’s 4am in the morning and I’m wide awake as I’m still adjusting my body clock after just completing my Melbourne to Milan journey – and what a journey it has been!

Highlight of my 22 hour trip was absolutely being upgraded to Business Class from Melbourne to Dubai. Now, I’ve never been able to afford to fly business before, however after that experience, I’m willing to start a swear jar, sacrifice organic for normal fruit/veg, walk more/uber less – whatever it takes to save enough money to always travel this way – it’s a game changer! If you’ve never done it before, let me give you the highlights:

picked up by a chauffeur and driven to the airport – yes, this really happened
the seating is so incredibly generous in size (you get a 2m skybed with massage controls) and this made all the difference for me. Even though I had a someone beside me, the privacy screen made it feel like I was in my own little world.
the kate spade vanity kit – ear plugs, eye mask, lip gloss, hand & face moisturiser, toothbrush/toothpaste and it’s all presented in the cutest bag! Qantas just announced their kits have new artwork on them as they are collaborating with 16 Australian artists, photographers and digital influencers – challenge to collect them all accepted!!!!
you get the most relaxing, soft qantas branded pjs and socks. If I could’ve walked off the plane in those things I would’ve – super comfy.
the food and wine is clearly the best I’ve ever had on a plane – the quality, the choices were very cool – all created by Neil Perry.
finally, the service. The team on board were delightful and I got a kick out of the fact they knew my name and would use it repeatedly. Even when I was just walking around they’d say – Ms Pratt are you ok? What can we get you? I’d reply, “nothing thanks, just going for a walk”, give them a smile and shuffle off in my pjs all the while thinking – ‘economy class is now dead to me’

You’re probably wondering – where are the photos of this trip? To be honest, I was a bit like Alice in Wonderland – so caught up with it all and taking it in that I seriously didn’t take any photos! Fingers crossed I get my upgrade on the way home then I’ll be snap happy then.

So continuing the story – my flight in Melb was initially delayed 2 hours which meant I was potentially going to miss my connection. Arriving in Dubai however I was quickly escorted by an Emirates staff member to my connecting flight to Milan. This was gold as I not only got to skip to the front of security but that airport was so massive I seriously would’ve gotten lost figuring it out myself. Having said that, the shopping looked pretty fab so maybe on the way back I can get lost in that section….

Onwards to Milan and it was all quite uneventful as I was flying Economy for my last leg (did I mention, never again?) but arriving in Milan I was greeted by Roberto. Who is Roberto? Roberto was a treat I gave myself……..a driver to meet me and take me to my hotel instead of a taxi/train. I always wanted to be greeted by a gorgeous man holding a sign with my name – yes, I paid for the pleasure but 100% worth it!

Roberto then whisked me to my apartment, I checked in and immediately walked outside, looked around me and said to myself, “you made it – you’re in freaking Milan!” then skipped across the road to buy an espresso.

Be Fabulous xx

Tag: milan

Milan – 3 days of design, indulgence & food coma’s!

From Melbourne to Milan