Milan is all contrasts: effortless elegance around every corner, with quiet, secret corners that feel like they were made just for you. Here are my hot tips on how to best enjoy the city...
Where to stay
Casa Brivio feels like a little secret tucked behind unassuming wooden doors and jewelled stained-glass windows in the heart of Milan. Walking in, the city fades away. Inside, the villa opens onto intimate courtyards, rich textures, and carefully considered details that feel effortless but utterly luxurious. It’s one of those places you want to linger in, where every corner feels personal, calm, and quietly opulent.
If you want to be in the thick of Milan’s glamour Portrait Milano is the place to be. Just steps from the Duomo and the city’s most prestigious boutiques, it puts you at the centre of everything, yet once you step through its grand doors, it feels self-contained and completely composed. The suites are polished, the service meticulous, and the whole experience has that unmistakable Italian sense of drama the kind of hotel you book when you want Milan to feel elevated, expensive, and effortlessly iconic.
Where to eat
La Latteria is one of those “if you know, you know” Milan addresses. Tiny, family-run, tucked away in Brera, it has a quiet perfection simple, seasonal northern Italian dishes that are thoughtful without being showy. The lemon pasta alone is reason enough to go. It’s intimate, nostalgic, and entirely unbothered by trends. After a day exploring the city, it feels like a small personal discovery, one of those places you hope stays your secret. Strictly no reservations, but that’s part of the charm.
For a proper Milanese lunch, Trattoria Masuelli San Marco is unbeatable. Family-run since the 1920s, it’s classic Milan at its best: saffron risotto, ossobuco, cotoletta, all executed with devotion. The interiors are frozen in time white tablecloths, warm lighting which makes the experience feel timeless. It’s confident, comforting, and utterly Milanese.
Where to get a drink/aperitivo
Camparino in Galleria is iconic in the truest sense a Milanese institution where design, history, and cocktail culture meet. Sitting down for an aperitivo in the afternoon is almost a ritual the perfect light streaming through the Galleria makes it feel cinematic. The Campari cocktails are timeless, but the real joy is the moment itself watching Milan pass by.
What to see
As a designer, I’m drawn to spaces that feel considered but restrained, and Villa Necchi Campiglio embodies that beautifully. A 1930s rationalist villa tucked behind garden walls, it’s all proportion, light, and materiality – every detail intentional. Visiting here feels like a pause in time, a moment to reset. It’s calm, composed, and a subtle lesson in how true luxury often comes from clarity and discipline rather than excess. Very Milan, in the most refined sense.
Fondazione Prada is a completely different energy dramatic, precise, and unmistakably Prada. The grounds alone are worth exploring: every angle framed, every courtyard deliberate. For me, it’s a one-time experience best to check what’s on and plan your visit around an exhibition that excites you. Once you’ve seen it, it leaves an impression that lingers long after you leave.
