The Wardrobe Consultant's Travel Guide: A Long Weekend in Milan
I had the great pleasure of spending a long weekend in Milan recently. I posted about some of it on Instagram and saved it all as a highlight… Quite a few people reached out asking for names of places we shopped, visited, stayed or ate. So I thought it would be helpful to do a travel guide blog post about it, so everything was in one place.
How the Milan Trip Came to Be
Here’s how the whole trip came to be. My life long BFF (college roomie, maid of honor in my wedding and the friend I visit every year in the Hamptons) invited me to join her and her daughter for a long weekend trip they were planning to Milan. My first thought was, ohhh that’s so nice, but no thanks, I’ve been traveling a lot this year and maybe it’s too much. But then two things happened…
First, I started working with the Lara Bellini bag brand, and they’re headquartered in Milan! All of our meetings have been via zoom, which is great, however, the opportunity to meet in person felt really powerful. Then, I mentioned this possible trip to my daughter Maggie who is taking a gap year abroad and she said “mom, I can fly to meet you for like $70, let’s do it!”
My Empty Nest Year Of Yes
And, of course, I’ve also committed to approaching this, my first year as an empty nester, as a year of yes. Similar to Shonda Rhimes, I am trying to say yes more often, and see where it leads. And to remind myself that I may not know how it will all turn out and that is ok - I’m leaning into the uncertainty. It’s kind of uncomfortable actually.
After so many years of mothering around school, dance, and soccer schedules, and having those be the roadmap that created the rhythm for our lives… this “freedom” is all new. So both my husband and I are committed to trying out new things like more travel, new hobbies, acting spontaneously, and also trying out the snowbird life. Right now it is helping the transition feel exciting rather than ominous or even empty.
So, yeah, I went to Milan on a girls trip - and here are all the deets…
By the way - Our itinerary is a compilation of suggestions from friends and colleagues that both Tracie and I asked. I’ll add the other places (especially restaurants) that were given to us but that we did not get to try at the bottom.
My Trip To Milan
I took an overnight flight and landed in the morning - Maggie took an early morning flight and we met up at the exact same time in customs - it could not have worked out any better! That first, in person hug was everything - it literally brought me to tears.
A snafu at the airport
I’m completely embarrassed sharing this, partly because I feel like a fool, but I hope it will help someone not make the same mistake.
I went to the official taxi line and the driver said he’d use the meter. To me that totally made sense, and I thought I was being smart, but, guess what? He ripped me off!
A quick google search would have informed me -
Taxi from Malpensa Airport to City Centre
Taxis are located in front of the exits to the arrivals halls in both Terminals 1 and 2. Journey time to central Milan is around 50 minutes. The fixed fare is €90 to Milan city centre. Taxis licensed by the City of Milan are white in color.
FYI - my meter fare was more than that - ugh! I did not find out until it was too late, so please use my mistake to make sure the same does not happen to you.
Where I Stayed in Milan
Hotel: Westin Palace
We picked this hotel for a few reasons. The location was good, pretty much in close proximity and walkable to most things and also right on the subway and trolly lines. And it is affiliated with Marriott/Bonvoy so we could use points for our stay.
The hotel was clean and nice, the staff was friendly and very helpful too. I’d probably describe it as more of a business hotel than a luxurious vacation hotel. And it fit our needs really well.
Read on for what we did each day in Milan!
Friday in Milan
The Westin Palace in Milan
Last Supper Tour
Lunch at La Latteria
This was our plan for lunch. They do not take reservations. We missed it because of flight delays.
Last Supper Tour
This was really cool. I do not think I realized this iconic Leonardo Da Vinci painting was on the wall of a dinning hall of a former Dominican convent. As well as other special facts about this work of art.
Dinner at Giacomo
Via Sottocorno 6 - we arrived at 7:45 pm for our 8 pm reservations and the place was EMPTY. That did give us a bit of pause. But by the time we left it was packed. The Milanese dine LATE and truly dine. Dinners are looong. Like 3-5 hours!!
Saturday in Milan
Breakfast at LùBar
Lunch at Paper Moon
Breakfast LùBar
This adorable, very Instagrammable spot was found on TikTok by Maggie. The food was delish and the photos were very post worthy. Make reservations ahead of time.
Cascina Cuccagna Farmhouse
We took the subway to visit this farmhouse from the 17th century in the porto romano area of Milan. IMHO, it might have been interesting if we took a tour or there was an event happening, but probably not worth it just to see.
Lunch Paper Moon
This restaurant is in the heart of the shopping district.
Shopping Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga
As I mentioned in my IG stories, I found Milan shopping to be somewhat disappointing from an actual buying perspective. The higher end designer stores were gorgeous to look at and all felt like items I could buy in NYC. Nothing felt exclusive to Milan or Italy. There are VAT refund benefits, so that is a plus for purchasing.
We did have fun finding things for Maggie (and one item for me) at Twinset, which is an Italian chain similar to Aritzia or Club Monaco - not luxury and not fast fashion - firmly somewhere in between. The items were unique to Italy and at attainable prices.
Dinner La Libera
This was possibly my favorite meal in Milan. The restaurant has a small, homey feel and our waitress made great menu and wine suggestions. For example, we told her we loved a Brunello wine and she said this one was just as good, less well known and less expensive - she was 100% right!!
Sunday in Milan
The Duomo
Lunch at Santa Lucia
Fondazione Prada
Breakfast Marla Pasticceria
A delish little spot within walking distance to the Prada Foundation. There was a line down the street but it moved quickly and was definitely worth the wait.
Prada Foundation Museum
This felt like a have-to when in Milan. FYI, it is not about Prada at all, simply funded by Prada. So it is an interesting museum with different art exhibits and installations. The space itself is quite beautiful. IMHO, if you have time and depending on the exhibits it’s worth it, but if you’re pressed for time maybe not.
Duomo
I DEFINITELY recommend getting the fast pass for entrance and elevator roof access, the views were incredible!
Lunch Santa Lucia
My second favorite meal in Milan. Located right near the Dumo, it felt like a neighborhood spot. Filled with locals and great food.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
This is basically Italy’s oldest shopping mall and the home of the first Prada store. Don’t forget to look up, the ceilings are stunning.
Dinner at Il Solferino
I’d say this was collectively our least favorite meal. It felt very touristy, most tables were Americans. It was the priciest meal we had and the food was fair.
Monday in Milan
Breakfast Panzera Milano
We happened upon this spot while walking to do some boutique shopping. It was delish and again, we were the only Americans in the place!!
If I were to do it again, I’d probably leave more time for boutique shopping and spend less time on the designer streets. We actually only got to Corso Como 10 but I’m including the list of other shops that were recommended and that I hope to hit next visit.
Corso Como 10 - Fantastic curation. I’ve heard it described as a concept store. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and not pushy. I’d highly recommend a visit.
La Rinascente - More of an Italian department store but without the negative connotation that comes with the name department store. Think more Harrod’s than Macy’s.
Antonia - My friend and tastemaker Lara Bellini recommended this boutique. It’s top of the list for my next visit.
Bivio - you know I love a good resale shop, this could have been a whole half-day stop for me!!
Wait and See - A colorful and eclectic boutique.
Lara Bellini
In November I was introduced to the Lara Bellini handbag brand. And in the next few months you’ll have the opportunity to see more about them, their bag collection, and Lara as a person on my Instagram account.
One of the great highlights of this visit to Milan was the opportunity to meet, in person, creatives I admire but have only interacted with on zoom. Monday afternoon and evening, Maggie and I visited the Lara Bellini factory to see how these beauties are made. Spoiler alert - it’s all done by hand! This is truly a made-in-Italy brand. Then we visited the showroom to get a sense of the depth and breadth of styles.
And the cherry on top was being invited into the Bellini’s home - it is truly a stunning site. A historic building that they lovingly renovated for approximately 2 years! They took us through, room by room, and the attention to detail is, well, amazeballs!!
I made a reel to give you a quick overview of the gorgeousness, but if you enjoy details and backstories like I do, you’ll want to check out the full house tour here.
Next week I’m going to break down the fashion trends I saw while in Milan and how to wear them.