Milan, Italy

Milan may be famous for its shopping, trading, and amazing designers, but it is also a great place to enjoy a good meal. There are many ethnic restaurants, trattorie and pizzerias in the city, and during the summer months, it is not unusual to see groups of friends enjoying their pizza Margherita as they sit outside under white parasols.

From after World War II until the 1960s, mass migration prompted many southern Italians to move north, towards the industrialized cities. Some of them decided to open simple trattorie (traditional style, family-operated restaurants), offering the cuisine of their hometowns, which were mainly in Tuscany and Southern Italy. A number of these restaurants grew in quality over the years, transforming themselves into excellent and often outstanding restaurants: places such as Trattoria Toscana (book in advance in order to sample their tasty pasta dishes or fresh fish recipes) and the mythical Antica Trattoria Milano which opened a few years after the end of the Second World War and serves good, hearty food alla Milanese.

Pizzerias are popular in Milan, many serving pizzas cooked in wood-fired ovens, giving the dough a delicious smoked taste. Some of the pizzerias have traditional checked tablecloths, outdoor seating, and paper tablecloths and provide you with pencils to amuse yourself while waiting for your pizza or for your bill. A good option is the Di Gennaro , a popular pizzeria located downtown, or for fresh fish Il Sambuco is a sure thing. If you are in search of Italian alta cucina, or high cuisine, look no further than the acclaimed Giannino , although it's prices can be high as well.

A wonderful view of the city can be seen from Bistrot Duomo , a great place to try if you want a quick snack and cappuccino while shopping or a more substantial meal before going on to the cinema. It is located at the top of the stylish Rinascente department store, which gives you another reason to visit! Another marvelous restaurant find is Savini , situated nearby in the breath-taking Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II . This restaurant is often thought of as one of the best in Milan, and though the prices are high, it is worth a visit if only to enjoy some old-world charm and steep yourself in Milanese elegance.

In the 1980s and 1990s a new wave of immigration brought thousands of people from nearby developing countries, which led to the growth of the best ethnic restaurant network in Italy. In Milan you'll find restaurants serving delights from almost every country: from Sri Lanka to Brazil (excellent Brazilian cuisine is to be found in Ristorante Rio's ), Korea to Senegal. In the last couple of years Japanese cuisine has rocked the city; Yume is a testimony to this - it is the place to come to have a truly Japanese experience.

There is no better way to round off a meal than to stroll through the central streets of Milan eating gelato and watching the world go by, especially if it is a warm summer evening. Try Marghera where delicious gelato and desserts are sold and there are often long lines (always a good sign); or you could try the excellent Gelateria Ecologica , which has been making natural gelato (without artificial colors or preservatives) since the 1970s.

There are many different areas in Milan to explore, but a great place to start is Brera, because it is a district that is famed for its nightlife and restaurants, but also has art galleries to visit in the day and glorious palaces that played an important role in Milan's history. Even if you cannot enter these palaces (because they are still private residences or offices), you can still drink in their beauty from the outside, as you wander down the narrow streets. It is best to take the Metro to reach Brera. The nearest stops are Lanza, Moscova (line 2) and Cairoli (line 1).

There are a number of things to do during the day in Brera, such as visit the Pinacoteca di Brera (the Brera Art Gallery), which is found in the same building as the Academy of Brera, Milan's School of Fine Arts. This gallery has 30 rooms of paintings from different eras. Not to miss are Mantegna's Dead Christ, Madonna and the Saints by Piero della Francesca, or the Wedding of the Virgin by Raffaello. Those who prefer to occupy their time with lighter pursuits can visit various art galleries around the Via Centrale and surrounding streets of Via Ciovasso and Monte di Pietà. There are antique shops and shops selling quality handmade goods, and on Via Solferino and Corso Garibaldi you can browse in some exquisite boutiques. If you feel guilty about all of the purchases you have made, indulge in your shopper's remorse while wandering alongside the peaceful Martesana Canal (Leonardo da Vinci allegedly designed the locks). As mentioned before, the real attraction of Brera is its nightlife; once made up of piano bars, the district is now full of bars and restaurants. The Jamaica , at the end of Via Brera, was popular with intellectuals in the 1960s, and is still a good place for an aperitif. There's also Moscatelli , a small bar with a huge choice of wines, and El Tombon de San Marc , the first English pub in Milan, which also serves sandwiches, cold dishes and salads.

Brera also has good restaurants, which thankfully stay open until late. In the same street at number 24 is the Latteria di San Marco , a very famous and very crowded small Lombardy restaurant, that is very affordable. Also popular is La Libera in Via Palermo, which serves traditional Italian food, and La Briciola on the corner of Via Solferino and Via Marsala, which serves outstanding soup, something which Milanese restaurants are not often commended for! Brera also has a wide choice of international cuisine.

Brera is a definitely a gem of a district waiting to be discovered by night owls and "morning people" alike.

If you are in the heart of the centro storico, stop by the famous Duomo , which began construction towards the end of the 14th Century. The restoration and cleaning of the facade began in 2004 and was recently completed. Nearby is the world-renowned Teatro alla Scala , site of the premieres of such famous operas as Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, Otello by Giuseppe Verdi, and Madama Butterfly and Turandot by Giacomo Puccini.