Bar Picchio is a down to earth, unpretentious tobacco bar in one of my favorite districts in Milan.

Porta Venezia is well known for being a fancy area as well as the home of a few gay-friendly bars and ethnic restaurants, but it’s also a place where, every now and then, it just feels right to take it down a notch. And Picchio nails it, especially if you have zero demands and just want to go for a basic aperitivo in a neighborly bar.

Forget the hype: Picchio is low-priced, but not cheap, if you know what I mean. It’s the kind of tobacco bar that reminds you of the 80s, when life in Milan was definitely less pretentious. Everybody pretty much knows everybody around here, so you’ll happen to overhear the stories that took place in front of the pool table or behind the counter, where by the way you can spot a thousand ID pictures of the regulars. Picchio offers a pretty decent home-cooked lunch, but it is particularly from 19:00 on that loads of students and residents drop in and have a spritz or a bottled beer and chat on the sidewalk outside.

If Picchio had a motto, it would definitely be “just relax”. Much to the residents’ delight, neighborhood bars are having their comeback in Milan, especially since the pandemic started: Bar Picchio is one of the main characters in this story and that’s not too shabby at all.