Cantine Isola is a little gem in the hearth of Chinatown.

It is one of the few authentic wine bars in Milan. Cantina Isola is always very crowded (there is only one little table but I’ve never spotted it free) Everybody here stands in front of the counter, drinking excellent wine and eating (for free) very tasty snacks (olives, cheese, anchovies, sun dried tomatoes..)

During spring/ summer there is a nice patio in front of the bar so you can enjoy a nice glass of wine relaxing in the pedestrian street.

Ask the bartenders to advice you the best red/white wine of the day.

Since it is situated in the middle of Chinatown, if you come here to have “aperitivo” before you can have a nice walk across Via Paolo Sarpi (full of Chinese little shops).

If, after one, two or more glasses or wine and a few olives, your belly will ask for real food I would advice to go to the one of the best Chinese restaurant in Milan: Jubin, just 3 minutes walk away on the same street.

On Wednesday nights they do poetry reading: the owner will jump on a chair and will declare a poem and at the end he will ask for the author.

Wine + poetry: who’s asking for more?

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Cantine Isola | Art & culture, Bars | Glass of wine from € 5
Via Paolo Sarpi, 30 | Centro | +39023315249
Tue – Sun 08:30 – 21:30

If you walk to the Dom and you see a long queue coming out of one of the side streets of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, then you have to stop straight away and follow the crowd. No, you won’t find any celebrity surrounded by her fans, and neither will you find a street artist doing his stunning performance nor a master piece of art attracting tourists.

You will see a small 2 window shops, full of people, with a lovely smell coming out: Luini.

This place has been an institution for the last 3 generations of Milanese people (and it does not even sell Milanese food!) and if you find it, then you absolutely need to stop and try one of its famous panzerotti, a typical street food from Puglia, the region that is in the heel of the Italian peninsula.

Traditionally, the panzerotto is made of bread/pizza dough folded in a half moon shape with a mozzarella and tomato filling inside. It can be cooked in the oven or fried, and of course you have to choose between health and taste (I always go for the latter).

Luini is the best place in town if you want to taste this delicious specialty and it now offers a variety of fillings, like ham, vegetables or even sweet ingredients (nutella, cream, …)

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Luini | Snacks | Panzerotto € 2.70
Via S. Radegonda 16 | Centro | +390286461917
Mon 10:00 – 15:00, Tue – Sat 10:00 – 20:00

The municipal aquarium is a lovely Art Nouveau building dating back to the beginning of the XX century. It is the 3rd oldest aquarium in Europe and it was created for teaching purposes. If you go there, spend some time outside and try to count how many different animals living in water environments are represented, both painted or sculptured: every time I go I find new ones I had not noticed before.

It’s a great place to go to if you are with children, one of the few children-tailored spaces Milan offers to its youngest visitors. However it is also perfect for the long rainy and dark winter days, if you are fed up with shopping and cinema: the pools representing different water environments (lake, see, river, mountain stream, …) with the relative animals and vegetables create a bewitched atmosphere, with its soft lighting. My favorite part is the corridor with round walls and ceiling made of glass where you can see fishes swimming all over you.

There is also a library inside, which unfortunately can only be accessed for studying purposes, and an exhibition centre, usually for photographs exhibits.

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Acquario civico | Art & culture | Free
Viale Gadio, 2 | Centro | +390288465750
Tue – Sun 09:00 – 13:00 & 14:00 – 19:00

I recently discovered this café located inside one of my favorite Museums: Triennale (Museum of Modern Art and Design).

The restaurant offers a wide varieties of  elaborated and creative dishes. I had a very good pasta dish with an interesting cream of lemon, broccoli and anchovies.

At lunch, (except during the weekend) the menu is quite convenient (a starter, a pasta dish and a dessert for € 25.00). Otherwise you can have “a la carte menu”.

The place is quite fancy: all the furniture are design pieces and so are the cutleries. The spaces are big and the view from the window is excellent looking out on the park. In summer there is a nice terrace for enjoying an aperitif, right in the middle of all the green.

After your meal or coffee, you can go on to visit the Museum and discover some nice exhibitions or enjoy a nice walk in the park, located just behind the restaurant.

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Triennale Design Caffè | Art & culture, Snacks, Restaurants (International) | Dinner & drink € 18
Viale Alemagna, 6 | Centro | +390289093899
Tue – Sun 10:30 – 20:00

I love walking. One of my favorite streets in Milan, for a nice walk is Via Vincenzo Monti. I’ll try to find at least 10 good reasons why it can be renamed as the best street in Milan for me:

*1. It is beautiful: with high trees and old beautiful buildings on the side.

*2. It is very centrally located (near cadorna station) but there is not much traffic, and this is definitely a plus considering that it is located in the very city center.

*3. There is one of my favorite patisseries  (Sugar, at number 26).

*4. There are many nice restaurants  (pizzeria da Biagio is one of my favorites at number 28 and Pane e Salame at number 26).

*5. There is a great hair stylist (Tony&Guy at number 27).

*6. There are two beautiful flowers shops and I love flowers.

*7. It is close to the Triennale Museum (monder art/design museum).

*8. It is very close to the biggest park of Milan (Parco Sempione).

*9. There are a few supermarket and biological shops.

*10. It is very close to the Malpensa Express (train shuttle to Malpensa).

For all these reasons I recommend you to reserve at least a couple of hours to wander around the street, have a nice coffee or a pizza or just enjoy window shopping.

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Via Vincenzo Monti | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping
Via Vincenzo Monti, 2 | Centro
24 hours daily

Open since 1907. I love this place. I love the mixed atmosphere, the tables outside, the fact that it is full of university students as well as normal people or actors, or models.

Bar Magenta is a point of reference in Milan. It is always open 7 days a week and all year long. I was used to work just in front of it and I came here for cappuccino in the morning, a nice salad or sandwich for lunch or a beer with colleagues after work.

Inside it is very beautiful, the floor is original from 1900′s and so are some wooden chairs and little marble tables.

The specialties here are Panini: there is a big blackboard inside where you can choose from more than 20 types (my favorite is primavera with focaccia bread: tomato, mozzarella, green salad and mayonnaise). But the cocktails also need to be mentioned: go for a classic: Negroni Sbagliato made with Bitter Campari, Red Vermouth and Sparkling Wine.

The little tables outside are perfect for a beer on a sunny afternoon or a coffee in the morning. Free newspapers and free WIFI are friendly facilities.

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Bar Magenta | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Pint of beer € 8
Via Carducci, 13 | Centro | +39028053808
09:00 – 02:00 daily

Starting from the name, this is the  place where you want to be if you have a “sweet tooth”. It is located just a few steps from Cadorna Stations in Via Vincenzo Monti, one of my favorite areas in Milan.

If you like to experience the traditional Italian breakfast then order a cappuccino and have a croissant (my favorite are the kipferl with blueberry jam). For a change instead of the classic croissant, you can choose the delicious mignon cake (I love the ones with cream and wild berries).

All the cakes and pastries are homemade and in summer there are also a few tables outside (they also serve aperitifs in the afternoon).

The staff is very nice and you can also order special cakes (made just for you) even for one or two people if you like. In this case you’ll have to order it a few days in advance.

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Sugar | Bars, Snacks | Cappuccino & croissant € 2.30
Via Vincenzo Monti, 26 | Centro | +39024815376
Mon – Sat 07:30 – 20:00, Sun 07:30 – 18:00

Just beside Piazza Duomo and nearby Piazza alla Scala, is a small square: Piazza San Fedele. I have always been fascinated by this place because in Milan there are not so many squares and also because even if it situated in the very center of the city it is always very peaceful, maybe because it is quite small.

It is not so famous even if there is a statue of Alessandro Manzoni  and a nice Church which gives the name to the square.

If you are around this area for shopping or for a tour I recommend you come here for a rest. I like to come here with an ice cream or with a snack and rest for a while, just doing people spotting or reading a book.

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Piazza San Fedele | Art & culture
Piazza San Fedele | Centro
24 hours daily

There are few places in a city where you feel like I am proud to live here because of this place. Ostello Bello is definitely one of them.

Before it was a hostel, a bar and a place to meet new people, it was a project some guys have been working on for years, with a passion you immediately see.

The place is located in the very center, between piazza Duomo and the Navigli area, the perfect spot to stay if you’re visiting Milano. The walls are beautifully decorated by the illustrator Elena Borghi and each room is painted in bright colors and has its own private bathroom (complete with the very Italian bidet!). The common kitchen offers a lot of cutlery and each floor has a fabulous terrace with hammocks and plants (I wish I had one like that at my place).

If you are not sleeping there you are very welcome to visit the café anyway, where the atmosphere is friendly and homey. The young owners of the place will take care of you as they did with each detail of the place, from the little frames which show the rooms’ numbers to the books in the shelves available for the guests. Some events will take place in the next months, so stay tuned!

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Ostello Bello | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea
Via Medici 4 | Centro | +390236582720
24 hours daily

Caffè della Pusterla is one of the cafés I usually choose when I want to take my time and have breakfast leafing through a magazine.

It’s always open, every day – any hour, very central, quiet and cosy. You can breathe the tradition in the wooden chairs and tables, black and white pictures of old Milano, antique signs and objects. The kitchen is always open, that means you can eat whenever you want. They offer simple dishes, a good selection of wines and desserts and a light buffet in the happy hour time.

The entrance is under a bower which creates an intimate atmosphere even if it faces a quite noisy street. Since at this café it’s very simple feeling at ease, clients can be really different: from students who work on their laptops, to couples with babies, from young people reading a book, to groups of people having a beer.

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Caffè della Pusterla | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Meal € 10.00
via De Amicis 24 | Centro | +390289402146
07:00 – 02:00 daily