With style, sass & sun kissed skin the Italians certainly know how to live the city life right. . .with 48 hours to catch a glimpse of the way they take the world by storm - it was a fun limoncello filled adventure to say the least!
Duomo di Milano
When? 30th April - 2nd May 2022
With? My friend from Uni, Paige
Stayed at? An Airbnb right in the centre (Look here!)
Highlight? Duomo di Milano - the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen.
Improvement? The kindness of the people! The SASS!
La Gioia
'Hmm somewhere with cheap flights, sun, cocktails & good food' - this was our agenda last month when searching for a girly bank holiday getaway location & what better food do you get than in Italia? P (Paige) being the social media guru that she is, tracked down enough stunning photos of Milan in approximately 3 minutes that now with rumbling bellies & flights at £70 return - we were sold.
P is that friend of mine that everyone needs in their life, that someone when whenever you're together it is always an adventure, whether you are down the local pub, singing down Oxford Street, planning a spontaneous trip to Paris after one too
many drinks at Kings Cross St Pancras one Friday night or. . .running through the airport at 6am with 20 minutes to spare & both adamantly agreeing that we can not get on our 'Final Call' plane until we have waited in queue for our Cinnamon Bun & Iced Coffee's from Starbucks. Now that is friendship.
Fast forward a few hours, we got our plane just fine (with no chance of now being Hangry), trapesed through the queues at Milano Malpensa Airport, figured out their toilet system (flushing automatically & continuously whilst sitting on the loo!) & walked 20 minutes in the wrong direction from the central station to sit & enjoy our first, & well deserved, Pizza of the trip!
Where To Stay
Whilst the flights may be cheap to Milan, the city is not. It took a little while to find somewhere in the centre that was a cheerful place to lay our heads & we were lucky enough to stumble across the most beautiful Airbnb. I would definitely recommend staying here if you take a trip to Milan for just £110 per night, we had a stylish bedroom & bathroom, a quaint balcony overlooking the park & even fresh dressing gowns & slippers for good measure! The locks were a little tricky but the host sends a video of how to do it, we got there in the end & honestly enjoyed a perfect stay a 20 minute walk from the central square. (Our Airbnb)
What To Do
With Milan being the fashion capital, it truly lives up to it's name in every sense that people watching is one of the top things to do. Sit out front of a café & sip a coffee, enjoy a cocktail on one of the many rooftop bars or grab a morning pastry from many of the patisserie's & perch in the main square watching the city come to life in all of it's glamorous glory.
Number Two is stroll through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the world's oldest, stunning & most original shopping centres. Full of Dior, Louis Vuitton & Prada window shopping was our style whilst buying a yummy gelato but the decor & architecture is something else entirely - it will take your breath away, similarly to. . .
The iconic Duomo di Milano, this Cathedral that took over 500 years to build is crafted to perfection. Not a stone has gone unturned, whether it is day or night it is a sight to behold & it is also worth the queue (you need to pre book beforehand) to climb up the stairwell & walk over the rooftops to see the skyline of Milan & the cathedral itself close up.
Where To Eat
My number one recommendation in Milan crosses over with my number one recommendation in London. If you haven't already visited one of the three Big Mamma Group restaurants, book it now! (For a birthday if you can, the celebration is brilliant) But in Milan lies the absolute original. La Gioia. Besides the slightly sharp man on the door on our arrival - the food: olives, bread, olive oil, aubergine, mushroom risotto, the drinks: french martini, limoncello, you name it - all absolutely to die for! You have got to book a few weeks in advance for this one so make sure you plan ahead.
Next up was our takeaway pizza location to sit on a park bench & sun seek, munching away with the yummiest pizza in town. A little shop on the Piazza Cesare Beccaria, they even cut it in half & popped it into separate boxes for us (although as soon as we has one bite I think we both wished we had 3 whole pizzas each!)
Drinks time: Terrazza Duomo 21 Lounge Bar. Overlooking the Duomo Cathedral itself & strict on an hour timeslot, for a limoncello cocktail & giant juicy olives it is worth the visit just as the sun is starting to set to enjoy the music, views & Italian style.
& Now for a greenhouse filled with rustic bread & fresh basil & lemon drinks comes Lubar. The friendliest staff we had all holiday! & the place we sat for hours & hours not noticing time passing by, simply mesmerised by the freshness of the food & the surroundings. We even bought the largest pasta tubes from their very own shop & got a lovely free tote bag thrown in! (For us to do a couple of twirls with walking back to our apartment at 11.30pm after one too many cocktails. . .)
Duomo di Milano
So over & out on a perfect place for a girly weekend! Perfect for 48 hours, for cocktails & for pizza. It is bellisimo!