Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

Fish is important in the Italian cuisine. During summer it is really popular to go out for dinner and have spaghetti alle vongole or allo scoglio, with different seashells. But I love to cook fish at home, to be accompanied by a good glass of cold white wine. In Milan I love to go Pescheria Da Claudio (fish shop) just 15 minutes walk from the Duomo. It’s famous in the city and after 50 years of activity is also the oldest in town.

The fish here is not cheap but the freshest I’ve ever had. Here you can find also mussels, lobsters, cooked fish snacks and raw fish tasteful aperitivi. You can stop here for a lunch at the bistro inside the shop.

Pescheria Da Claudio also provide catering services for parties, and they deliver to your home. Sometimes I ask for suggestions about my recipes, because cooking fish is a delicate business! They also suggest which is the best white wine to drink with your fish.

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Pescheria Da Claudio | Shopping, Restaurants (Seafood) | Little fish dishes € 3.50
Via Cusani 1 | Centro | +39028056857
Mon 11:00 – 20:00, Tue – Sat 09:00 – 21:30

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

This pub is near the popular area of Viale Monte Nero, that recently became stylish and full of cosy bars. The place is special because of the wonderful selection of craft beers. The best are raw beers from Italian producers, I suggest in particular beers from the famous Birrificio Lambrate and from lesser known but emerging microbreweries from Milan and Lombardy such as l’Orso Verde.

Habitués meet in this lively bar to relax, chat before clubbing in Porta Romana or after going to the Colosseo cinema in piazza delle Cinque Giornate.

I really like the happy hour. For 4.50 euro from 19:00 to 21:00 you can have a pint of beer and a tagliere with slices of pizza and snacks. If you feel hungry you can splash 6.00 euro for a tasty selection of salumi. The music is good and so is the service: friendly and bilingual. The place is great but be careful: no wine is served in this beer lovers heaven!

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Hop | Bars | Happy hour € 4.50
viale Regina Margherita 4 | Porta Romana | +390254122690
Mon – Fri 12:30 – 15:00 & 18:30 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 18:30 – 02:00

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

Pizza al trancio. This is the expression you have to keep in mind when you enter this place. Because pizza al trancio (literally slices of pizzas) is the specialty of Spontini, near corso Buenos Aires.

Spontini is really a Milan institution, opened in 1953 as a spot for pizza to go, now this pizzeria is a popular hangout among families and young people. There are other two restaurants in Milan, one in viale Papiniano and another in via Marghera. I think that cheap prices, friendly service and delicious food are worth a visit.

The interiors are simple and on the walls there are photos which show the preparation of a pizza. The pizza here is soft and thin, served in slices with different toppings. The ingredients are not a secret: water from Milan, white flour, tomato sauce from Emilia, mozzarella, anchovies and oregano, then salt, pepper and olive oil. Just for lunch you can also have the lasagna. I love it, the sfoglia is prepared with a very tasteful ragù.

Prepare to queue, especially on the weekends.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Spontini | Restaurants (Pizzeria) | Trancio pizza € 4.50
via Spontini 6 | Centrale/Greco | +39022047333
Mon – Fri 11:45 – 14:30 & 18:00 – 23:30, Sat 11:45 – 14:30 & 18:00 – 00:00, Sun 11:45 – 14:30 & 18:00 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Milan

Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

I’m a big fan of the movie Rocky Horror Picture Show. One night a friend invited me to a special show in a cinema called Mexico. It is located in via Savona, now one of the most stylish area in the city. Mexico is very popular in Milan because it hosts a special show of my cult movie since the 80s.

Live Actors and dancers all dressed up like the movie characters play some parts of the movie while viewed on the screen. I was invited, together with the rest of the audience, to sing all the songs, dance and take part of some of the movie scenes. It was really awesome and I had a lot of fun ! I know that this kind of cinema shows come from a London tradition: groups of fan used to meet to celebrate the movie!

My friend, who was there for the tenth time, told me what to bring: a newspaper, some rice, a pair of rubber gloves and a little trumpet. But if you forget you can buy a complete kit in the cinema. I didn’t know what were those objects for but I discovered soon! They were part of the show and I had to use them to participate. Booking is essential because it’s a really popular show and it’s always busy. My friend booked by email and got the ticket one hour before the show from the cinema ticket booth.

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Rocky Horror in Milan | Cinemas, Music | Ticket € 6.00
Via Savona 57 | Ticinese/Genova | +390248951802
Check the website for the show

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

What about a coffee break while shopping in Milan? Torrefazione Il Caffè Ambrosiano is an institution on the central Corso Buenos Aires 20.

This torrefazione serves excellent espresso and cappuccino. In the morning I go to have breakfast there with cornetti. There are no tables to seat inside, you just stand up and have your coffee!

It’s also a deli that sells different coffee blend, chocolate bars, truffles and sweets. The same little company also owns another shop in corso XXII Marzo 18 and two outside the city.

During Christmas festivities it’s a great place to go for a gift. In this little café I can buy hampers with coffee and sweet delicatessen and they are not so expensive compared to others. The coffee is blended in the Italian traditional way. During spring and summer it serves excellent caffè freddo or shakerato.

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Torrefazione Caffè Ambrosiano | Bars, Coffee & tea | Espresso € 0.90
Corso Buenos Aires 20 | Centrale/Greco | +390229525069
07:00 – 20:00 daily

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

This English-language bookshop is located near the Castle, in piazza Cairoli. It’s very popular among expats and Italians, like me, who want to read English books. This friendly shop is great for modern fiction and children’s books. If you ask they suggest you a good one, just tell them what do you prefer. They have also Art books and history publications as well. There are shelves dedicated to poetry and classics.

It’s not easy for a specialized little bookshop to survive in the market but they succeeded with a high quality service. The interiors are so charming! You feel like in a traditional English bookshop. The windows always change depending on the season: during festivities are full of Christmas related publications, calendars and greetings cards, during spring or summer there is a good selection of book to read while on vacation.

I have some English friends, so I like going there to buy some gifts.

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American Bookstore | Art & culture, Shopping | Book € 10.00
via Camperio 16 | Centro | +3902878920
Mon 13:30 – 19:00, Tue – Sat 10:30 – 19:00

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Image by Alesssandra Gesuelli

Macelleria Ercole Villa is considered one of the best butchers in Milan. From 1959 Ercole Villa and his family have run this jewelery of meat in Viale Brianza, near piazzale Loreto. Actually not the right place for a vegetarian!

When I moved to this area I started to buy my meat here. They have high quality from Piedmont region, which is considered more tasteful and here you can also find particular cuts of meat, good for some traditional recipes.

If you invite your friends for a dinner home it’s a great idea to come here in the afternoon. I always explain to the butcher what I want to cook and he suggests me a good one. If I’m preparing lesson or bollito misto, he chooses the best pieces.

Mr. Villa is very proud of his meat. All the meat sold here comes from outdoor and organic farms. No intensive farming! Mr. Villa personally knows all the local farmers, chooses the animals and he’s sure about their feeding. This place has been recommended in many cookbooks. The meat here is considered to be part of a food and agricultural culture to keep alive.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Macelleria Ercole Villa | Shopping | Pork 1 kg € 12.00
viale Brianza 11 | Centrale/Greco | +39026693118
Tue – Sat 08:30 – 13:00 & 15:00 – 19:00, Mon 08:30 – 13:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Milan

Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

The risotto is like a religion in Milan. For me the temple of this religion is Abele la Temperanza in via della Temperanza, near viale Monza. This restaurant is an old trattoria. Although renovated, it keeps intact the atmosphere of the Old Milan, with black and white photos on the walls, autographs from celebrities who spent their nights here and all kinds of historical memorabilia.

On the menu I like to taste the Tris of Risotto: three different kinds of rice. At Abele you can try almost 100 different kinds of risotto, three per day, because every day they change the selection. This is the right place to have the risotto allo zafferano, a must in Milan! For a good one you have to wait 30 minutes, so you can relax, have a starter and drink the good house red wine.

From the Milanese cuisine you can also try brasato, coppa di maiale and different soups. They have a seasonal menu and the food is very well prepared. The trattoria opens at 8 pm and you can’t be late! Booking is essential, it’s always packed!

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Trattoria Abele la Temperanza | Restaurants (Milanese) | Risotto € 9.00
via Temperanza, 5 | Centrale/Greco | +39022613855
Tue – Sun 20:00 – 01:00

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

This pizzeria is one of the best kept secrets in town. In summer, you can sit outside, around wonky tables on the pavement or in the light green interior. If you don’t know where it is you will never notice it. It’s on the chaotic Viale Brianza, near Piazzale Loreto.

At Pizza Big you can experience the real thin-crust and crunchy Roman pizza. Something rare to find in Milan, where most of the pizzas are thick and smooth. Every time I go there I always feel like I’m in Rome again.

The owners have a wood-fired oven and you can choose among almost 70 different toppings accompanied with a good selection of beers.

Don’t expect pineapple though! The toppings are strictly traditional with fresh and seasonal products. You can also try the calzone. The desserts for me are delicious: plain pizza filled with chocolate!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Pizza Big | Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza € 6.50
Viale Brianza 30 | Centrale/Greco | +39022846548
12:00 – 14:30 & 19:30 – 23:30 daily

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

Libreria Azalai is a unique bookshop. It opened in Ticinese area in 1994 in via San Gottardo. Then, 5 years ago it moved to the peaceful via Gian Giacomo Mora, just behind the busy corso di Porta Ticinese. The street is lovely, with a couple of good restaurants. For those who wants to read some good Italian travel writers here you can find the best ones together with a wonderful selection of international authors.

I have known this bookshop since I moved to Milan. As a traveller I tried to find a bookshop related to my passion but Azalai is also specialized in different topics about Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific area. They have authors that you can’t find in big bookstores. They also promote independent publishers, and host events and art exhibitions.

Believe me, even if you don’t speak or read Italian, this place is really worth a visit. Moreover, in a corner they have crafts designed in developing countries and produced by no-profit organizations to support local communities. In their new website you can also order the books you are looking for, buy them online or go there to take them.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Libreria Azalai | Art & culture, Shopping | Book € 10.00
via Giacomo Mora 5 | Ticinese/Genova | +390258101310
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 13:00 & 15:00 – 19:30

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