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Italy : Milan - December 2009

Country Code: Dial for Italy

Christmas shopping in Milan can be a rather full-on experience, with crowds swarming around the retail hotspots dotted about the centro. Take a breather from all that at the Triennale Design Museum, where a large-scale exhibition celebrating architect Frank Gehry can be seen this month (triennale.it). Steve Fisher takes his place in the queue for the tills

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).

ZONA TORTONA

A hive of activity during the city’s Design Week, this little stretch is worth a detour when all the creative types have left town.

Must eat – Owned by jeans brand Diesel, Circle (36 Via Enrico Stendhal, ) is a glam loungey affair with a menu featuring modern twists on Italian favourites, like risotto al traminer con zafferano. There’s also a drinks list that includes wines from Diesel head honcho Renzo Russo’s estate.

Shop til you drop – Stock up on designer labels on the cheap at Dmagazine (13 Via Vincenzo Forcella, closed Sundays), an outlet store offering Prada, D&G, Gucci and all the rest at 50%-plus discounts. Trendy vintage shop Nana’s Thrift Store (12 Via Tortona) is a hip hangout for clothes-obsessed locals (which is pretty much all of them).

ZONA PAOLO SARPI

This small zone just to the north of the centro comes alive at the weekends, pulling in a crowd with its parade of independent shops and busy bars.

Culture vultures – The Triennale Design Museum (6 Viale Alemagna) sits on the edge of the Sempione Park and is a suitably swanky flagship for leading practitioners of contemporary design, with temporary exhibitions and permanent collections.

Shop til you drop – The wonderfully cluttered Cesteria Taverna (3a Via GB Bertini) sells women’s handmade accessories created by the two owners, who are often happy to make you a cup of tea while you browse. Libero Milano (23 Via Paolo Sarpi) is a good spot for picking up a designer bargain, with sportswear and fashion labels at the forefront.

CORSO BUENOS AIRES

One of the city’s main arteries, this long avenue is mainly known for its shops, but has plenty of other pursuits to enjoy too.

Sleep soundly – A cheaper option than staying in the centro, the area has plenty of decent hotels. The Starhotel Ritz (40 Via Spallanzani, tel. , starhotels.com, rooms from €100) is a swish four-star bolthole with a high-tech, modish air. Pick of the rooms is the Deluxe, with its soft, feather “starbed”. A more basic option is the nearby Hotel del Sole (6 Via G Spontini, , delsolehotel.com, rooms from €50). Ask for one of the rooms overlooking the inner courtyard.

Culture vultures – The Galleria d’Arte Moderna (16 Via Palestro) is set in the Villa Reale palazzo and includes works by various modernist big hitters – not just locals but also the likes of Cézanne and Gauguin.

Must drink – One of the city’s bestloved watering holes, Bar Basso (39 Via Plinio), is famed for its take on the negroni, made with champagne instead of gin. If quaffing ale is more your thing, then head to Birrificio Lambrate (5 Via Adelchi), which has its own in-house brewery.

MONFORTE

Just on the edge of the centro, this is an increasingly popular area of the city.

Sleep soundly – The Hotel Chopin (143 Via Nicola Antonio Porpora, tel. , hotelchopin.it, rooms from €50) has recently been renovated and is a cosy, traditional place. It’s incredibly cheap, so treat yourself to one of the larger triple rooms. Hotel Dieci (12 Largo Rio de Janeiro, , hoteldieci.it, rooms from €100) is a new hotel with old-fashioned charm. Try to grab one of the rooms overlooking the quiet internal garden.

Must eat – For lighter modern-Med flavours, try Gattò (10 Via Castel Morrone, closed Sundays, ), a real hideaway. (You have to enter via a shop.) Here, comfort food with a strong Neapolitan accent is served up to an appreciative crowd. Try the veal roast with curry.

Compiled by Steve Fisher