Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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Italy : Milan - July 2009

Country Code: Dial for Italy

Staying cool is a Milanese obsession at the best of times, not least when temperatures begin to rise in the summer months. Enjoy a bit of respite from the balmy centro with a visit to the Darwin 1809-2009 exhibition (1 July – 25 October) showing at Rotonda di Via Besana – the huge tribute to the English naturalist is currently wowing the Lombard capital’s more discerning cultural crowd. Matt Barker dons a rather fetching sun hat and heads down there

Getting around

The nearest airport is Malpensa, 48km from the city centre.

Bus: A shuttle-bus runs from the airport to Centrale station. The 50-minute journey costs €4,50, with buses leaving every 20 minutes between 4.30am and 12.15am.
Train: The Malpensa Express runs from the airport to central Milan, taking around 40 minutes and costing €11.
Taxi: A taxi into central Milan takes about an hour and costs €75.
Tourist information: The main office is at 19a Piazza Duomo ( , milanoinfo.eu).

TORTONA

Home to a pack of young designers and artists, this revamped industrial area is a real pull for the city’s archetypal arty types.

Sleep soundly – Located in an old warehouse, Nhow Hotel (35 Via Tortona, tel. , nhow-hotels. com, rooms from €188) is the perfect fit for this most image-conscious of quarters. Pick of the 246 rooms is the penthouse, all minimalist wood and white – very Milan.

Must drink – Brush up on style tips at Design Library (11 Via Savona), where you can buy books and take an early evening aperitivo. Cape Town (3 Via Vigevano) is regularly touted as the city’s best spot to have a cocktail or two.

Shop til you drop – Some may find it all a tad intimidating, but Spazio Antonioli (1 Via Pasquale Paoli) is home to the best in cutting-edge contemporary design. Equally alla moda is Trace [Tras] (19 Via Savona).

DURINI

In the heart of the city’s celebrated shopping quarter, this is a must for any designer-bag lady, with its parade of big-name flagship stores.

Must drink – Grab a coffee and/or a glass of wine at Gin Rosa (4b Galleria San Babila), one of the city’s favourite meeting points, with its hush-hush service and well-stocked bar. For something more modern, there’s Victory (5 Via Borgogna), a large café and wine bar that’s a great place to kick off the evening.

Shop til you drop – Where to start? The new Meritalia (25/27 Via Durini) is a swanky shrine to the joys of interior design, while the recently expanded MaxMara (4 Piazza Liberty) is a stunning meeting of contemporary design and modern consumerism.

BORSA

The thought of walking around Milan’s financial district may not get the pulses racing, but this quarter has plenty to enjoy, not least some excellent eateries.

Sleep soundly – Hotel dei Cavalieri (1 Piazza Missori, , hoteldeicavalieri.com, rooms from €179) is a large, suitably businessminded bolthole, infused with 1950s retro charm (it opened in 1949). The two-bedroom suite is the big-money choice, but the junior suite has a more comfy feel and is certainly better suited to a couple staying for a few nights.

Must eat – Marchesi (11a via Santa Maria alla Porta, ) is a famed spot for breakfast, but is worth a visit at any time of day, especially for the fabulous chocolate cornetti, with an accompanying cappuccino – although, strictly speaking, you shouldn’t really have one of those after midday. Milan loves its sushi and one of the most popular spots is Zero Contemporary Food (87 Corso Magenta, ).

LAKE COMO

If you’re in the city for a few days, a quick trip to Como – less than an hour by train from central Milan – to cool off and mess around by the water is highly recommended.

Culture vultures – Catching a boat to explore the lake is easy and cheap, with services running every half hour at peak times. See navigazionelaghi.it for a full timetable. The trip to Menaggio, via the small waterfront town of Bellagio, is particularly enjoyable, with its beautiful shifting scenery. Bellagio itself has plenty to explore, not least its public gardens with panoramic views out towards the Alps and all points in between.

Must drink – Enjoying a lakeside view rarely comes cheap, but linger over a martini or two at Bar Caffe Rossi (22 Piazza Mazzini, Bellagio) and you can tuck into a hearty dish of bar snacks too. Is that George Clooney over there?

Compiled by Matt Barker