The much-beloved Milan Design Week 2018 will take place from 17-22 April and with it comes a set of design events and exhibitions that raise the concept and future of design, such as Salone Del Mobile – the annual worldwide furniture exhibition; and Fuorisalone – a set of events spread across several sections of the city.
Milan Design Week is a week full of events that involve the cooperation of luxury brands and designers, exhibitions throughout the various point of the city. These stands allow creatives the possibility to display and challenge themselves in an atmosphere devoted to innovation and growth. They are also ideal for specialists and visitants to explore new ideas and designs as well as engaging with the key figures of this industry.
In this article, we will feature a complete guide highlighting the best events and design districts to visit as well as the most charming luxury hotels and restaurants to experience.
You can download our free Milan Guide here
Events During Milan Design Week
Salone del Mobile
Salone del Mobile, the most recognized design fair in the world, reunites in just one week more than three hundred thousand designers, architects, critics and trend hunters for a week, innovation, design, technology and attractions to make from this event, one of the best global experiences for professionals
This year Salone presents a city-based project Living Nature. La Natura dell’Abitare developed with the Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) international design and innovation studio, will be in Piazza del Duomo. The Salone del Mobile ponders the possible reconciliation of man and nature with an emotive installation that enters into the debate on the value of sustainable living.
SaloneSatellite was the first event to focus on young designers, instantly becoming the unusual place for interface with manufacturers, talent scouts and the most promising young designers, and since 1998 runs again concurrently with the Salone del Mobile.
Date: April 17-22, 2018
Address: Fiera Milano, S. S. del Sempione 28, 20017 Rho, Milan
Twitter: @iSaloniofficial
Instagram: @isaloniofficial
Fuorisalone
During the Fuorisalone, many locations often become a co-protagonist of the event. many important brands located in the design districts introduce their new collections and host special events with live music and entertainment. See what can expect from some of the important design districts in the city.
Date: April 17-22, 2018
Twitter: @fuorisalone
Instagram:@fuorisalone
Tortona Design District
Tortona district showcases the biggest names from the design industry. For 2018, they will present Base Milano, a new multifunctional venue, located at the former industrial Ansaldo complex, hosts exhibitions, and projects. Nendo presents “forms and movement”. The Japanese design studio creates a labyrinth of designs, sketches, and processes, the show is part of the Superdesign at Superstudio. The exhibition Smart City and the Superloft project, displaying the ideal house/loft for the future.
Designers Neri&Hu present their installation any/everywhere for Stellar Works, a space to play “with the concepts of context and location”, SUPERSTUDIO, the iconic place for design in Milan, is the most visited and renowned place in Tortona district. With the project SUPERDESIGN SHOW, hat continues and takes over the success of the Temporary Museum for New Design
Date: April 17-22, 2018
Address: Largo Delle Culture, 20144 Milano MI, Italy
Instagram: @tortonadesignweek
Ventura Centrale District
Particularly notable this year exhibitors focus on a perception of technological processes and their impact on our daily lives, The American design studio UM Project whose “Patch” project envisages the future of smart houses and cities.
Ventura Future will host also features two projects by Patricia Urquiola, others by Mingone, Federica Biasi, Denis Guidone, Mae Engelgeer and Valerio Sommella.
The American magazine Surface to celebrate its 25th anniversary, teams up with celebrated architect David Rockwell to create “The Diner”, a modern reinterpretation of typical American restaurants the events hosts conferences and.
Date: April 17-22, 2018
Address: Via Ferrante Aporti 9, Milan, Italy
Instagram: @venturaprojects
Brera Design District
“Be Human: Designing with Empathy”, is the theme for the district 9th edition. Among the many events, 3 young Italian designers mark the presence in the design district. Cristina Celestino transforms a tram into a moving cinema under the name Corallo. Elena Salmistraro presents Dafne, a reinvention of the Timberland logo in Piazza XXV Aprile. Daniele Lago suggests a series of exhibits, meetings, and workshops in Appartamento Lago.
© Mattia Vacca
The Brera Design Apartment is an exhibition space located in via Palermo 1 with furnishings and upholstery from a wide variety of designers. COS invited this year the artist Phillip K Smith to imagine a sculptural installation that is inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture and the Milan sky, although respect COS’ minimalist design.
Date: April 17-22, 2018
Address: Via Palermo, 1, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 3663 8150
Twitter: @Brera_District
Instagram: @breradesigndistrict
Isola Design District
This year, the district will be marked by a strong international presence, thanks to the union of designers coming from all over the world. The theme will guide the exhibitions: “Rethinking Materials”. In fact, the organization’s goal is to showcase projects that have highlighted the adaptability of certain materials.
“LatinoAmerican Contemporary Design” a group exhibition by South-American designers working between contemporaneity and local country identities, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico.
Date: April 17-22, 2018
Address: Via Pastrengo, 14, 20159 Milano MI, Italy
Instagram: @isoladesigndistrict
“5 Vie” District
This year, the spotlight is trained on the spaces of the old Meazza hardware store – an iconic symbol of post-war Milan, which closed down two years ago. Space hosts various projects, including a tribute to the work of Nanda Vigo. The items displayed include her “Goral” totems and a wall show of her glowing tree sculptures titled “Light Trees”.
In vicolo Bagnera, most mysterious street in Milan, Portuguese artist Xena will pay tribute to Italy’s rich cultural heritage, narrative and reality, inspired by the work of Caravaggio.
Address: Via Montebello, 24 – Milano MI 20123
Instagram: @5vie_milano
Porta Venezia
Art Nouveau architecture, and design, “Porta Venezia in Design” makes its sixth appearance at this year’s Fuorisalone.
Louis Vution returns to Palazzo Bocconi with its Objets Nomades. Highlights include a patchwork leather vase by Fernando & Humberto Campana and a new collaboration with Hong Kong-based designer André Fu.
Date: April 17-22, 2018
Instagram: @porta_venezia_in_design
Triennale
La Triennale di Milano is an international cultural institution with over 90 years of history behind that stages exhibitions, conferences and events on art, design, architecture, fashion, cinema, communication and society.
It promotes exhibitions dedicated to contemporary art, to nationally and internationally celebrated architects and designers, to fashion designers that have transformed tastes and customs.
Address: Viale Emilio Alemagna, 6, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Instagram: @latriennale
Boca Do Lobo’s Tale of Art,
Design & Craft at Salone Del Mobile
Soulful Design and artful Craftsmanship sets a spectacular scene for all the lovers of unexpected design at Boca do Lobo’s mystic scenario in Milano, Salone del Mobile 2018. While the main stage absorbs the crowd’s applause, behind the curtains unveils a tale of utmost beauty with reinvented masterpieces and unfiltered new design pieces. A play to see from 17 until 22 of April, Stand D06 of Pavilion 1.
Boca do Lobo lifts the veil to this spectacular and rich backstage colored in tones of Grey and Gold, striving to unveil new novelties through the most unique and traditional craftsmanship. Always matching the true design language, but so different in the concept of the spectacular behind the scenes art show reflecting dramatic lines and curves, soft textiles with neutral colors and handmade techniques, provoking bittersweet emotions and evoking intimate feelings of belonging.
An explosion of creativity, capturing the imagination of those who look forward to freeing their minds and crave to see new and iconic pieces playing the main role at the tradeshow.
Projected to be the jewel in the crown of the Portuguese brand Boca do Lobo, the Diamond Sideboard is a reflection of the furniture jeweler’s expertise and quintessence, undoubtedly deserving its title. This opulent object, full of resources and desire, has two carefully sculpted doors that reveal a lined interior with shelves and two drawers.
Inspired by the Swan Lake Op. 20, ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Odette Sofa tells the story of a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. Its sweeping silhouette is accentuated with a polished brass structure and an asymmetric back offers a sophisticated design and timeless appeal.
Luxurious black high gloss sideboard. This exceptional sideboard offers a tribute to the historical city of “Angra do Heroismo” in Azores, Portugal. The seductive and elegant sideboard, its outstanding in its shape and curved design, offering a tactile focus to the exquisite marble top. The polished brass feet create a superb accent providing a glamorous design.
Soleil armchair is a synthesis of styles and senses. Inspired by the spirit and mission of the famous Cirque de Soleil, the purpose is to invoke, provoke and evoke. Soft, sultry curves gently embrace the sitter in this elegant vintage and contemporary style sofa. Except for the supreme levels of comfort, the armchair through the brass details perfectly complements the elegant lines of a timeless piece.
Soleil Sofa is a synthesis of styles and senses. Inspired by the spirit and mission of the famous Cirque de Soleil, the purpose is to invoke, provoke and evoke. Soft, sultry curves gently embrace the sitter in this elegant vintage and contemporary style sofa. Except for the supreme levels of comfort, the sofa through the brass details perfectly complements the elegant lines of a timeless piece.
Imperfectio Sofa is the expression of imperfect aesthetic, the appeal of that which is authentic art that is truer to life. The enormous success of the Metamorphosis Series gave birth yet to another unique creation – Metamorphosis Center Table. While in the ceiling we have Supernova Chandelier. Supernova was born from the cataclysmic explosion of a massive star. The instant of a bright starburst that was suspended into a fascinating lighting design.
Minimal Maximalism is the reflection of a harmonious symbiosis between different concepts of beauty, styles, and inspirations.The designs come to be eclectic but also Minimal; bold but always elegant;
Italian Design Guide
Milan is the city of design, so we gathered the best of the best when it comes to it! Discover the best design brands, designs, showrooms and emerging talents that you can find in Milan!
Design Brands
Minotti
A new generation is already gaining the formal and practical education that will continue the company’s evolution. The true alchemy, though, comes from a balance between two seemingly opposite concepts, modern and traditional. Anywhere in the world, people who want to invest money into creating a beautiful house with beautiful decoration value, and expect, timelessness – timeless elegance, quality, and service.
Baxter
A union among old handcraft traditions, experience and creative energy that has developed and grown up in time, nourished by an endless passion for what is beautiful, well done, thought and carried out in order to convey emotions.
Baxter furnishings are chosen carefully and with regard to long-term trends. Their combinations convey natural color variations and provide a harmony of tones. The company looks back at years of collaborations with internationally renowned designers like Paola Navone, Piero Lissoni, Roberto Lazzeroni and many more.
Fendi Casa
The highest class materials and artisanal expertise and know-how allow Fendi Casa furniture to develop their luxury furniture. The Fendi Casa collections include Contemporary, Live, Dine, Sleep and Relax. These sophisticated collections are ideal for elegant collections made up of luxury tables, chairs, armchairs, sofas and beds that have finesse and class.
Cavalli Home
Perhaps the most definitive part of Roberto Cavalli Home is designs themselves. Translating design flourishes such as animal print and white leather into a whole new medium, the home pieces take the spirit of the fashion collections and then build upon them as a foundation, morphing them and giving them a new lease of life as fine furniture, wallpaper and soft furnishings so that your home can be every bit as innovative as your wardrobe.
Visionnaire Home Philosophy
All the way from Milan to Manchester, Visionnaire can be found in the Elite of showrooms. Uniqueness, modern style and a vocation for Made in Italy are the founding values of the Visionnaire brand, which has been able to rapidly gain leadership on the international luxury design scene, no longer understood as merely a furnishing project, but rather as the offer of a “total look” customized in every detail.
Edra Spa
Edra Spa makes expert use of the skills which are present in the area and succeeds in developing innovatory products, revolutionizing in some instances the traditional production of padded furniture. The continuous, close dialogue between Valerio Mazzei, his “interface” Massimo Morozzi and the designers have produced some emblematic pieces which have become icons of contemporary design. Welsh Ross Lovegrove, Peter Traag, and of architecture, such as Zaha Hadid.
Gianfranco Ferré Home
Gianfranco Ferré Home, a style that goes beyond trends, where elegance is always the protagonist, in a perfect combination of classic taste and contemporary appeal. Among endless inspirations and unexpected interpretations, Gianfranco Ferrè Home collection pieces give life to unique settings with a rarefied and sophisticated atmosphere.
Longhi
Longhi is a company whose core focus is contemporary living. While mindful of changes in taste, its manufacturing roots run deep. The variety of items it offers furnishing accessories, sliding glass room dividers, doors for interiors, sofas, is the result of a consistent global, corporate strategy that influences every aspect of the production process.
Molteni & C
Molteni & C furnishings incorporate a wisdom gained from a long artisan tradition and an innovative technological quality that is practical without being ostentatious. When we talk of Molteni & C we speak of a hidden quality; that is, the technical and functional quality of the materials that are present, though often invisible, in its furniture.
Mascheroni Srl
A brand that is internationally recognized for the high quality of its upholstering. Special products and full suits of furniture for its demanding customers, people that were looking for luxury products.
Poliform
The Poliform collections designed both for the day and night areas are known for being comfortable to use, elegant in terms of form and created with meticulous attention to detail. They decorate interiors with style and interpret contemporary living using words such as comfort, discretion, elegance.
Imperfettolab
The objects that Il Laboratorio dell’Imperfetto designs and creates in its workshop in Italy are both unique and exclusive, characters which are implied by the brand name’s allusion to the imperfect. Fiberglass is the main material they have chosen for the creation of these works because it is light and resistant to any weather conditions, so suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Qeeboo
A next-generation design brand that aims at producing affordable, injection molded plastic furniture and objects. Known for his best-selling products, Stefanoo Giovannoni asked well-known creatives Andrea Branzi, Gabriele Chiave of Marcel Wanders studio, Richard Hutten, Nika Zupanc, and front to contribute with their designs — from chairs to lighting to vases.
One of the
Seletti
Over the years, the company has enlisted a range of designers, among them Studio Job, Alessandra Baldereschi, and Diesel Living. Their bold images of, say, a toad in a hamburger bun, or a bar of soap with a bite taken out of it—are emblazoned on everything from tabletop items to tea towels, with vibrant background colors.
BD Barcelona
The BD Barcelona range includes pieces designed by some of the most widely recognized designers in the world, including contemporary designers. BD Barcelona valorizes the sublime, the unique and the intensely beautiful. They pay homage to the old masters and the new and have helped to propel the careers of canonical designers such as Jamie Hayon and Doshi Levien.
Interior Designers
Take a look at our cured selection of revolutionary product designers, striking interior designers, and outstanding architects which reinvent new concepts, materials and exclusive pieces that have inspired the world of design.
Paola Navone
Paola Navone is a Milan-born architect and designer. Always on the go and looking or inspiration she has become an anthropologist of creativity. For Paola Navone, traveling signifies extending new horizons, gathering colors, scents, shapes, tastes, and mixing all that into another culture and space-time combination. Creating objects that blend magnificent design and craftsmanship
Gaetano Pesce
Architect and designer Gaetano Pesce’s decades-long career has been spent working on projects around the globe. Pesce has a bold approach to color in his sculptural furniture, and the unique shapes and materials in his designs showcase an affection for the abstract. In his work, he expresses his guiding attitude: “that modernism is less a style than a method for interpreting the present and hinting at the future in which individuality is preserved and celebrated.”
Dimore Studio
Founders Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci create exclusive design signature that blends classic principles with contemporary styling. Their work crosses and interlink design, history, art, and architecture. “A timeless visual and emotional pathway. A language inspired by a set of emotional alchemies made of unexpected choices, preservation, inventions, appreciation of prints, lights, lacquers, and oxidations.”
Fabio Novembre
The Italian architect Fabio Novembre he became famous through a large series of design projects for restaurants, nightclubs and shops in Italy and abroad, as well as through his unique pieces. His approach to work is a dialogue with the body that is for him a matter of engaging passion “I cut out spaces in the vacuum by blowing air bubbles, and I make gifts of sharpened pins so as to ensure I never put on airs.”
Patricia Urquiola
Patricia Urquiola was born in Spain, but it was in Itlay that she developed and created her company. Her teachers were Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti from which she learned unique lessons and become one of the most talented artists in the modern design world. For the designer, a chair represents a bridge between emotions and functionality: “Because the design must express the life with love. I am very curious and I love describing the everyday objects”.
Giulio Cappellini
Giulio Cappellini is an architect and founder design firm Cappellini, which he has transformed into one of the biggest trendsetters worldwide. The furniture brand represents has the same spirit and the goals of a continuous renewal. Once defined as a “tutti-frutti affair, with minimalism offered up alongside pop fashion, computer tech and amoebic forms”, Cappellini’s collections have included works by Marc Newson, Jasper Morrison, Alessandro Mendini, the Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec and others.
Andrea Branzi
Andrea Branzi is an architect, designer, educator, and urban planner, Branzi has been on Italy’s cutting edge for half a century. He defines himself as ” a person who deals with theoretical physics and sees architecture not as the art of building but as a much more articulated form of thought.
Piero Lissoni
Piero Lissoni, the internationally known architect and designer with a vision for spaces, ambiances and time. Together with Nicoletta Canesi, founded the interdisciplinary studio Lissoni Associati in Milan, concentrating on architecture as well as interior and product/light design.
Luca Nichetto
Venetian Luca Nichetto began his career working for respected brands Salviati and Foscarini before launching his own design firm in 2006. Born from the deep passion for industrial manufacturing and craft, Nichetto’s practice combines both Scandinavian and Italian design culture has given Nichetto Studio worldwide recognition.
Stefano Giovannoni
The Milan based architect and product designer, Stefano Giovannoni is known for his colorful design with a twist of humor, his work always tells a story. He created an expressive design full of symbols and metaphors. “I think nowadays you have to create emotions – something that can tell a story to the people. Therefore, I have chosen to follow a kind of narrative approach to design.”
Emerging Talents to Keep an Eye On
Milan Design Week is a great opportunity to engage and find a bunch of brand new designers. Aside from the well-established design brands and globally-renowned names, loads of fresh talents invade Milan to launch their freshest collections.
Federica Biasi
Federica Biasi, born in 1989, graduated with honors from European Institute of Design in 2011. From 2011 to 2013 she worked with design agencies based in Milan. In 2014 she moved to Amsterdam to observe and understand the Nordic design and the emerging trends, focusing on the aesthetic beauty and the formal simplicity which has inspired her personal style.
In 2015 she set up her own design studio in Milan, working on product design, design consulting and interior design.
Currently she became art director of the Italian company Mingardo, meanwhile, she collaborates as a creative consultant with design companies as Fratelli Guzzini, focusing on worldwide trends research and forecasting: color, material & finishing, carefully analyzing the know-how of every company she’s collaborating with.
Antonio Facco
Antonio Facco is an Italian designer who was born in Milan in 1991. Since the beginning, he has always paid great attention towards the evolution of contemporary design and communication.
Through the analysis of new generations’ behavior and habits, he draws hints and inspiration for his own researchers and projects. This way, the creation and development of his work are never obvious but synthesis of a process of sensitive research integrated with the study of the new information and production systems.
His studio in Milan has a multidisciplinary approach towards the creative project. By developing proposals and imaginations for different sectors, such as interior, product, graphics, and photography, he has the possibility of proposing diversified but coherent projects, performers of the same research.
Kensaku Oshiro
Kensaku Oshiro was born on Okinawa Island, Japan, in 1977. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Industrial Design at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan in 1999, he began working with various design studios until 2004, when he joined the design team at Lissoni Associati where he worked until mid-2012.
In June 2012, Kensaku moved to London to join the BarberOsgerby studio. Since returning to Italy he has established his own studio in the heart of Milan (2015).
He has collaborated with world-leading companies and brands, developing numerous and varied projects. Kensaku Oshiro works with Boffi, DePadova, Gan, Glas Italia, Kristalia, Ligne Roset, Muji, Poltrona Frau, Viccarbe, and Zanotta. In 2017, he launched the brand which is focused on his personal interests and research under the name OSHIRO.
Guglielmo Poletti
Guglielmo Poletti (1987) is an Italian designer, currently based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. After the first studies in Milan, he earned an MA in Contextual Design at Design Academy Eindhoven, where he graduated in June 2016.
Since the very beginning, Poletti has developed a clear, yet truly personal language. His practice is deeply rooted in a hands-on investigation of materials and their limits, in relation to the notions of balance and fragility.
His simple structures and elementary constructions stand as metaphors of defeated complexity, built around the manipulation of unconventional details. Subtle gestures allow him to achieve a deeper impact, by deconstructing an image and then restoring it with the smallest intervention. His approach is based on a ‘thinking by doing’ philosophy, which he combines with a good deal of intuition, to produce extremely coherent results.
Federico Peri
Federico Peri is a Milan based interior design practice. The projects range from retail concept, commercial spaces, private homes to furniture design.
The design process is driven by a consistent philosophical approach by which the studio creates a concept that is intimately connected to their function and individual context.
Working with authentic materials, aged, that tell a story of craftsmanship isn’t simply a standard of beauty but represent a real design-belief by which the studio starts any kind of project, whether it is furniture, installation or interior.
Marco Lavit
Marco Lavit Nicora (1986) collaborated with Riccardo Blumer, whose influence has contributed to his remarkable affinity with object design, and with Paris-based studio LAN Architecture.
In 2014, he founded Atelier Lavit in Paris, where he now resides, a project that spans Italy and France, mostly focused on design and architecture. Marco Lavi Nicora’s work is entirely based on the proximity and dialogue he has with artisans, especially Italian artisans as he has always favored the excellence of Italian craftsmanship.
The same year, he revealed a new version of one of his best-known pieces: the Venezia lounge chair – a metal structure clad in leather – designed especially for the Venice Design Biennial and displayed at the Centre Pompidou in Pairs during the retrospec2ve exhibi2on on Le Corbusier.
Milan City Guide
As Milan Design Week, one of the biggest design events worldwide is getting closer, it’s really important to start planning your visit! Milan, waits for your visit from 17 to 22 April, in order to delight you with the best design experiences during Milan Design Week. To help you with this hard task here’s an irresistible selection of luxury hotels, the best Italian restaurants, cocktail bars and shopping streets.
Where to Stay
Bvlgari Hotel
Settled in an 18th-century edifice, the Bulgari hotel will make you feel right at home in the heart of Milan. It’s impossible not to fall under the charm of the ideal setting. The friendly staff will give you the impression of being welcomed in a luxury private residence. All rooms and suites are so elegant and combine modern design, polished lines, and luxurious details.
Address: Via Privata Fratelli Gabba, 7b, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 805 8051
Mandarin Oriental Milan
The Mandarin Oriental Milan offers luxury accommodation a short walk from the fashionable Milan’s fashion boutiques. The property features a restaurant on-site with 2 Michelin stars and meeting facilities. Set in a complex of 5 connected 18th-century buildings, all rooms and suites are air-conditioned and designed by Antonio Citterio, modern décor and taco floors.
Address: Via Andegari, 9, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 8731 8888
Park Hyatt Milano
In all of its 81 rooms and 25 suites, the Park Hyatt Milano offers luxury and serenity in the form of clean design and quiet comfort. Park deluxe executive king rooms feature fruit baskets and your choice of mineral waters, while a Park terrace suite boasts gorgeous views of Milan from a private terrace. You’ll never go hungry with mouth-watering, on-site dining options like Michelin-starred Restaurant VUN, where you can enjoy a multicourse tasting menu unlike any you’ve ever tried.
Address: Via Tommaso Grossi, 1, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 8821 1234
Palazzo Parigi Hotel and Grand Spa
From the outside, Palazzo Parigi Hotel & Grand Spa looks like any of Milan’s modern office buildings — glassy windows, metal frame, business. Just take a deep breath and walk inside. Palazzo Parigi is neoclassical luxe with a French twist throughout its ten floors. Its vibe is cosmopolitan and stylish, shown off by its staff, a well-heeled team of polyglots straight from the runway.
Address: Corso di Porta Nuova, 1, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 625625
Armani Hotel Milano
The “Stay with Armani” philosophy promises a “home-away-from-home” experience. A global design first, the hotel has been designed and developed by Giorgio Armani and reflects the pure elegance, simplicity and sophisticated comfort that define his signature style.
The Armani Hotel Milano with 95 guestrooms and suites is the second hotel to open under the Armani Hotels & Resorts banner. It is located right in the heart of Milan’s world-famous fashion district, only a few minutes away from Via Montenapoleone and the spectacular Piazza del Duomo.
Address: Via Alessandro Manzoni, 31, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 8883 8888
Four Seasons Hotel
In one of Italy’s sleekest and most fashionable shopping districts, find a 15th-century convent transformed into an urban sanctuary of luxury and comfort.
A dramatically reborn 15th-century convent with a mere 118 rooms and suites, the intimate Four Seasons is steps from Milan’s couture houses and financial district on the exclusive Via Gesù between Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga.
Address: Via Gesù, 6/8, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 77088
Room Mate Giulia
Room Mate Giulia Hotel is located in a historical building that dates back to late 19th century. There are a total of 85 rooms that have been designed with a vintage touch and strong contrasting elements so guests feel like they are in a familiar setting.
The pink, green, and blue tones, the traditional materials—such as terracotta bricks from Lombardy—and the designer furniture are the main aspects of a unique space that has the unmistakable signature of Patricia Urquiola.
Address: Via Silvio Pellico, 4, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 8088 8900
Hotel Viu
The first hotel in Milan dedicated to the leisure traveler. An innovative and new location where everything is designed to combine business and leisure.
An unconventional hospitality and luxury vision. A mix of innovation, luxury and simplicity, high-quality service, a relaxing atmosphere and the Italian lifestyle always at the heart of our philosophy.
Address: Via Aristotile Fioravanti, 6, 20154 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 8001 0910
ME Milan Il Duca
Near to the Fashion District and the nightlife of Porta Garibaldi, this lifestyle hotel offers contemporary, cutting-edge design in one of the world’s leading fashion capitals.
ME Milan Il Duca lies just 800 m from the fashion district and the nightlife of Corso Como, and only a few steps away from the city’s historic cathedral and the La Scala Opera House. A dynamic, design-oriented hotel with a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Rooms with a unique style and modern technology: a blue tooth sound bar and media hub
Address: Piazza della Repubblica, 13, 20124 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 8422 0108
Baglioni Hotel Carlton
The excellence of the services offered by this luxury hotel, along with its strategic location in the heart of the fashion district and the most important city hubs, make the Carlton one of the structures favourite by many tourists, but it is its attention to privacy to have gained the trust of major international personalities, from the world of finance to that of music and fashion.
Address: Via Senato, 5, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 77077
Hotel Principe Di Savoia
With a rooftop spa and spacious rooms with classic design and luxurious furnishings, Hotel Principe Di Savoia is located 100 meters from Milan’s Repubblica Metro and Railway Station. Rooms at Hotel Principe Di Savoia are decorated with traditional dark wood furnishings and luxurious fabrics. The spa has a sauna, a hammam and a pool with frescoes.
Address: Piazza della Repubblica, 17, 20124 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 62301
Where to Eat
Seta – Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Discover exquisite dining, a beautiful setting and a vibrant atmosphere in the heart of Mandarin Oriental hotel. Under the watchful eye of acclaimed chef Antonio Guida, the two Michelin-starred Italian restaurants Seta has fast become one of Milan’s most talked-about dining destinations. Updating traditional recipes with his own creative culinary techniques, chef Guida’s menu offers an exciting, contemporary take on classic Italian cuisine.
Address: Via Andegari, 9, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 8731 8888
l’Iyo
A door opened on a floating World, where everything is designed to move your feelings, a place to live the pleasure of tasting and welcome: this is the project that leads Claudio Liu to open Iyo in 2007. Fragrant and delicious dishes come from the spectacular kitchen, led by Michele Biassoni, while from his sushi counter Master Masaki Okada creates delicious raw dishes.
Address: Via Piero della Francesca, 74, 20154 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 4547 6898
Berton
It is in Porta Nuova Varesine district, among the New Milan skyscrapers, that chef Andrea Berton has opened his restaurant, a modern, rigorous and elegant location, reflecting an essential and balanced cuisine. “My dishes are clear, with no artifices, because they are thought to start from primary flavours: all the ingredients – and they are never many – are used in their maximum expression, in perfect balance, and they are not hidden to the palate, nor to the sight”, says the star chef. This luxury restaurant is a must for the most demanding palates.
Address: Via Mike Bongiorno, 13, 20124 Milano MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 6707 5801
Da Vittorio di Brusaporto
Da Vittorio is a unique culinary oasis nestled in the hills that separate the bubbling vitality of Milan from Bergamo considered to be a mecca for seafood lovers since 1960 thanks to the remarkable Cerea family. In the early days, the luxury restaurant built its reputation around their creative fish dishes, taking a gamble at a time when meat was dominant on restaurant menus. Perseverance paid off, with the first Michelin star awarded to the restaurant in 1978, the second in 1996, and the third in 2010.
Address: Via Cantalupa, 17, 24060 Brusaporto BG, Italy
Phone: +39 035 681024
Dal Pescatore di Canneto sull’Oglio
The luxury restaurant is situated in the nature reserve of the Oglio Sud park in a village with 36 inhabitants, inside an elegant country house with the dining and sitting rooms encircled by the greenery of the gardens. The cuisine is overseen by Nadia and Giovanni Santini, and features both classic and avant-garde dishes.
Address: Località Runate, 15, 46013 Canneto Sull’oglio MN, Italy
Phone: +39 0376 723001
Miramonti l’Altro di Concesio
This luxury restaurant in an elegant villa on the outskirts of town is renowned for its owners’ hospitality and its fine cuisine. The menu features specialties from Brescia, and fish from the lake and the sea, all with a distinct French influence. There is also an unforgettable cheese trolley with an excellent selection of Italian varieties.
Address: Via Crosette, 34, 25062 Concesio BS, Italy
Phone: +39 030 275 1063
D’O di Cornaredo
The D’O Restaurant, a small luxury restaurant along the main street of the village of San Pietro all’Olmo, is a cozy, simple and very welcoming environment. The cuisine is creative, offering traditional recipes revisited and lightened, with creations become famous, such as caramelized onion and light cassoulet. The D’O Restaurant, located in Cornaredo in the province of Milan, also has a very good wine cellar, with a targeted and well thought out selection of about one hundred labels.
Address: Piazza della Chiesa, 14, 20010 San Pietro all’Olmo, Cornaredo MI, Italy
Phone: +39 02 936 2209
Where to Go for Cocktails
From places serving Campari to craft beer, trendy cocktail bars to English-style pubs, Milan’s bars scene has a little something for everyone. Take a look at the best spots to drink in Lombardy’s capital. It is a city that oozes class and the famous fashion houses boast their own ultra-chic bars, restaurants, and hotels, whilst the cocktail bars are amongst the best in Europe.
Bulk Mixology Food Bar
Bulk mixology food bar is a place where guests can relax in a good and beautiful way, enjoy time and watch it pass. At Bulk guests can drink coffee, enjoy lunch or dinner, bite a snack and sip one of the perfectly crafted cocktails at the bar; even here the attentive and careful eye of Giancarlo Morelli can be perceived watching over the excellence and quality of all the ingredients.
Address: Via Aristotile Fioravanti 6, Milan
Phone: +39 02 800 10 910
Ceresio 7
When the weather cools, the restaurant’s unique interior design, unusual pictures on the walls, colorful chairs, and 1930s-era lamps, provides more than enough visual delight. Head chef Elio Sironi, formerly of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan and a restaurant called Madai in Porto Cervo, reinterprets traditional local cuisine with unusual combinations and ingredients.
Address: Via Ceresio, 7, Milan
Phone: +39 02 31039221
Globe
Accurate, ever-changing culinary proposals designed and created with a passion for meticulous first quality ingredients and the extreme care with dish presentation by Executive Chef Gianfranco Semenzato. A superb selection of oysters, some still unknown in Italy but appreciated by connoisseurs, along with top quality meat like Japanese Kobe Italian-style raw fish or Milan traditional dishes, such as exquisite “Ossobuco” or “Milanese”. Homemade fresh pasta and internationally inspired dishes.
Address: Piazza Cinque Giornate 1, Milan
Phone: +39 0255181969
Iter Cocktail Bar
Classified as the first fusion cocktail bar, Iter will take you every six months to discover countries all over the world. The concept is “From Italy to the World”, which only makes you want to travel, discover and experience the wonder of aromas and flavors of every corner of the world.
Guides of this trip are Nicola Scarnera and Flavio Angiolillo. Every six months they will explore a different country, returning to Milan with a baggage enriched by cultures and flavors that will be discovered through cooking and cocktail list.
Address: Via Mario Fusetti 1, Milan
Phone: +39 02 3599 9589
Jazz Cafè
Quality cocktails paired with creative tapas by the Naviglio Grande, in a restaurant that is almost an extension of the adjoining Pont de Fer restaurant. Drinks with a vintage soul go hand in hand with the care of high-quality saucers. You can have dinner or simply have an aperitif, accompanied by snacks at the table. A handful of clichés of Milanese clubs. But adopted with grace, taste and common sense. There are the usual living brick walls, the large counter in front of the entrance, the rough wooden tables. A few seats in front of the chef’s worktop.
Address: Ripa di Porta Ticinese 55, Milan
Phone: +39 02 84194720
Marchesi
Designed by architect Roberto Baciocchi, the new shop is not unlike a prim pastry itself. Beyond the building’s stone façade, walls are clad in minty marble, floors are lined in chocolate-hued stone, and lighting glows through pristine white ceiling beams. Treats, aperitifs, and candy-color pastry boxes are placed elegantly amid wood-and-glass cases. Unlike its petite predecessor, the new spot has room for customers to linger.
Address: Via Monte Napoleone, 9, Milan
Phone: +39 02 7600 8238
Capra e Cavoli
If even in winter you dream of dinners in the garden, Capra and Cavoli is the one for you. Between plants and umbrellas, it seems to be “en plein air” without the risk of drafts. The Barbara Clementina Ferrario restaurant offers a wide and refined proposal of vegetarian and vegan dishes, but not only, accompanied by a wine list with exclusively organic and biodynamic Italian labels. The tasting menu costs 45 euros, drinks not included.
Address: Via Pastrengo, 18, Milan
Phone: +39 02 8706 6093
Fioraio Bianchi Caffè
Fiorario Bianchi Caffé is a neighborhood flower shop, a bistro and a café, where flowers – personally arranged by the owner each day – contribute to creating an enchanted atmosphere. Francesca Mirigliano, who runs Fioraio Bianchi Caffé, talks about the past and present of this space.
Address: Via Montebello, 7, Milan
Phone: +39 02 29014390
Botanical Club
The Botanical Club is a restaurant and cocktail bar in two venues. It uses all things naturally edible to realize starter size dishes to share with friends or original cocktails. The Botanical Club is also the first Italian Small Batch Gin distillery, opened in 2015 in Milan. It offers a wide variety of gin, recommended in a weekly selection.
Address: Via Pastrengo, 11 Milan
Phone: +39 02 36523846
Where to Shop
Milan might be the most under-appreciated city in Italy. But if you’re the type of person who likes to step off the well-trodden tourist path, it’s one of the most rewarding to visit. From the world-class bars to restaurants, Milan is packed with wonders.
Corso Venezia
The Corso Venezia is one of Milan’s most prestigious streets, bordered by stately buildings in a multitude of architectural styles, from Renaissance to Art Nouveau. Many upscale shops have outlets here.
Corso Buenos Aires
A real shopper’s paradise, Corso Buenos Aires offers one and a half kilometers of storefronts, with shops for all tastes and all budgets: sophisticated boutiques, alternated with trendy stores offering all types of merchandise and numerous bars for a quick snack. Its side streets abound in restaurants, many of which are ethnic. A Saturday afternoon favorite with Milanese shoppers of all ages.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II
Stroll along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the most popular shopping street in the city, for the widest selection of drop-dead gorgeous clothes, shoes, and accessories, window shopping here is the stuff of dreams. Named after the great Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy, the boulevard is a traffic-free zone buzzing with shoppers, buskers, and oh-so-trendy locals.
Corso di Porta Ticinese
Although it’s within walking distance of the city’s cathedral and Navigli neighborhood, Corso di Porta Ticinese has been likened to Portobello Road in London and is characterized by unique clothing, record and food stores. An alternative to the designer labels of the Via Montenapoleone, it specializes in offbeat fashion brands and is a great destination for denim – Levis, Diesel, and Carhartt all have footholds here, as do Vans and Camper.
Via Montenapoleone
As part of the Quadrilatero d’Oro – Milan’s golden quadrilateral – Via Montenapoleone is an essential destination for luxury shopping in the city. Often considered to be the key shopping street in Milan, it is home to many big designer brands, from Gucci to Prada to Valentino. With brands including Bottega Veneta, Salvatore Ferragamo and Fendi all on the same street, Via Montenapoleone is an irresistible place to indulge in some luxury leather accessories from world-class Italian designers.
Art Galleries and Museums
Milan is an exciting hub and a privileged city to observe the inspiring and moving scene of design, and art. Having been known as one of the world’s premier cities for fashion, opera and art, spoiled with touristic attractions and it is no wonder why Milan has a great deal to offer in the way of museums, art galleries, and design showrooms.
Fondazione Prada
Fondazione Prada Milan is an exhibition space dedicated to contemporary art and culture. It is housed in a complex that for many years functioned as a distillery, but that has been changed by OMA – the architecture firm co-founded by Rem Koolhaas – into a collection of modern spaces.
Address: Largo Isarco, 2, 20139 Milano MI, Italy
Bagatti Valsecchi Museum
The Bagatti Valsecchi Museum is a historic house museum that is born from the extraordinary collecting experience of Barons Fausto and Giuseppe Bagatti Valsecchi at the end of the 19th century. The Museum is one of Europe’s best-preserved historic house museums and one of the first grand expressions of Milanese design.
Address: Via Gesù, 5, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Galleria D’Arte Moderna
The Gallery of Modern Art, GAM, is one of the most agreeable art galleries in Milan. Located in the Villa Reale, a sumptuous palazzo where Napoleon once resided. The gallery displays works by Lombards and other Italian painters including Modigliani, Boccioni, and Previati and non-Italian modernists such as Gauguin, Cézanne, Picasso, Van Gogh and Manet.
Address: Villa Reale, Via Palestro, 16, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
MUDEC
Museo delle Culture (Museum of Cultures), or MUDEC, is the latest addition to the museum landscape of Milan. It is dedicated to interdisciplinary research on the cultures of the world and focuses on the relationship of these cultures with the city of Milan. The cutting-edge museum is designed by the British architect Sir David Chipperfield.
Address: Via Tortona, 56, 20144 Milano MI, Italy
Museo D’arte Antica
Museo D’arte Antica is an art museum in the Castello Sforzesco of Milan. It has a large collection of sculpture from the late antiquity, Mediaeval and Renaissance periods.
Address: Piazza Castello, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Museum of the Milan Cathedral
Museo del Duomo (Duomo Museum) is the museum of Milan’s outstanding cathedral and relates to and reveals its history and art. Established in 1387, by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, with the aim to design, build and preserve the Milanese cathedral, an activity that is still on-going today.
Address: Piazza del Duomo, 12, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Armani Silos
Silos is Giorgio Armani’s own museum, dedicated to his fashion designs of the last 40 years, displaying around 600 of his works. The digital archive can be accessed through workstations and holds a collection of photos, sketches, technical drawings and illustrations.
Address: Via Bergognone, 40, 20144 Milano MI, Italy
Pinacoteca di Brera
The Pinacoteca di Brera houses one of the main art collections of Renaissance art in Italy with over 500 works dating from the 14th- 20th century. Amongst the collection are masterpieces by Bellini, Caravaggio, Tintoretto, and Veronese.
Address: Via Brera, 28, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Museo del Novecento
The Museum of the 20th century is located right in the heart of Milan near the Duomo. The museum curated selection is a real gem for those fascinated by this period. There are paintings by Picasso, Modigliani Mondrian, Kandinsky and Boccioni to name a few.
Address: Via Guglielmo Marconi, 1, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Galleria Rossana Orlandi
Galleria Rossana Orlandi has been forecasting along the years new and upcoming designers and establishing the premise as one of the most revered platforms for avant-garde Design and Lifestyle. And one of the most sought-after during Milan Design Week
Address: Via Matteo Bandello, 14/16, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Nilufar Gallery
The Nilufar Gallery knew how to cut out its own space and become the reference point to lovers of historical design as well as to people following the evolution of contemporary design, above all within that more learned, poetic and visionary area shifting between production and contemporary art.
Address: Via della Spiga, 32, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Gio Marconi Gallery
Gió Marconi gallery started in 1990 under the initiative of Gió Marconi who created the Studio Marconi 17, an experimental space for young artists and art critics. Gió Marconi gallery mainly focuses on contemporary positions and, at the same time.
Address: Via Tadino 20I-20124 Milano Italy
Galleria Bianconi
The Bianconi Gallery in Milan in “Brera” district, with the commitment to develop an accurate work of research in the second half of 20th Century Italian Arts sphere. The aim is to review the artwork of strong artistic personalities, but still with a close relationship with the social reality and artistic dynamics of the time.
Address: Via Lecco, 20, 20124 Milano MI, Italy
Pirelli HangarBicocca
Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation, which has converted a former industrial plant in Milan into an institution for producing and promoting contemporary art. This dynamic center for experimentation and discovery covers presents major solo shows every year by Italian and international artists.
Address: Via Chiese, 2, 20126 Milano MI, Italy
The Best Showrooms
Design Showrooms and Concept Stores play an essential element for interior designers. Take a look at the most coveted shops and showrooms in the city with the best home design products, as well as amazing store interiors.
Bredaquaranta
Bredaquaranta presents its collection to customers who are searching for design articles, proposed by the main design brands in the market. The bredaquaranta the ideal shop to create the optimal living place, combining taste and practical needs of those who will live in it.
Address: Via Fatebenefratelli, 10, 20121 Milan, Italy
SAG 80
SAG’80 Group is a leading player which operates in the sectors of design and furnishing in Milan through its four showrooms.In each of our showroom, you will find an exclusive selection of the best Italian and international design brands.
Address: Via Giovanni Boccaccio, 4, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Lladro Showroom
Lladró showroom presents a unique concept and exhibiting their exclusive collections of sculptures, High Porcelain, lighting, home décor and fashion accessories, the boutique also highlights the brand’s close bonds with art, crafts, and design.
Address: Piazza Fontana, 6, 20122 Milan, Italy
Interni Spa
Interni has been focusing design and decoration of homes and offices. Interni Group has carried its brand name with the most eminent Italian and International brands of furniture and design.
Address: Via Filippo Turati, 8, 20121 Milan, Italy
Spotti Milano
Spotti Milano has been selecting and showcasing the best interior design solutions for a complete and tailored project. A great furniture and accessories selection of the best Italian and international brands that will help you to create a space that reflects your personality.
Address: Viale Piave, 27, 20129 Milan, Italy
Febal Casa
The Flagship Store Febal Casa Brera epitomizes the retail concept of the brand and, alongside kitchen displays, also has areas dedicated to night-time and living room décor, to wholly embrace the brand’s offer of a total look.
Address: Via Fatebenefratelli, 18, 20121 Milan, Italy
Il Piccolo
Il Piccolo carries this hand-craft soul made of high-quality materials. In Brera, they opened the brand’s first showroom with furniture articles and objects signed by important international designers, then by collaborating with architects.
Address: Via Delio Tessa, 1 ( Brera ) 20121 Milan, Italy
Corso Europa
The Corso Europa showroom has been the reference window for the best design and furnishing companies, in Italy and all over the world. Designed by the architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen, the showroom is one-of-a-kind in the city of Milan and elegance, class and quality are its keywords
Adress: Corso Europa, 20122 Milan, Italy
Moooi Showroom
For more than fifteen years Moooi has inspired and seduced the world with sparkling and innovative designs. The Showroom presents a unique and iconic mix of lighting, furniture, and accessories, which endure everyday interiors.
Address: Via Savona, 56, 20144 Milan, Italy
Cappellini Point
Cappellini’s showroom is dedicated to the professionals of architecture and interior design industry, the products displayed are designed by several international designers. In a private environment, that reproduces the atmosphere of a private loft, defining the vision of living by Cappellini.
Address: Bastioni di Porta Nuova, 9, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Magis Showroom
Magis Showroom success is based on the wish to provide users with access to highly functional and technological quality products for the home, developed in partnership with major international product designers, with a vision of the resulting products that are ethical and poetic as well as aesthetic.
Address: Corso Garibaldi, 77 20121 Milan, Italy
Top Sights and Landmarks
Milan has more than its share of attractions, not to mention history. For all its workaholic reputation as the money and business center of Italy, it’s a city with an influential past and a rich cultural heritage, sights and landmarks. All this history, not to mention the considerable wealth generated by its favored commercial position, has left the city with an abundance of art, cultural, and architectural treasures for you to enjoy.
Milan Cathedral – Duomo
The Duomo, besides being an artistic monument, is a privileged place of prayer. The Cathedral is strongly linked to memory and to the Magisterium of the Bishops who have succeeded to the Throne of St. Ambrose and to the history of the millions of faithful who collect their thoughts there each year to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries.
Address: Piazza del Duomo, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Sforza Castle
The Castle, one of the most representative and popular monuments in the city, has undergone over the centuries various and complex transformations; it has been defense fortress, military barracks, private residence and center of cultural institutions and museums. Because of its evident defensive structure, it underwent sieges, demolitions and reconstructions of some parts of it during French, Spanish and Austrian domination.
Address: Piazza Castello, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
The Galleria, a place of transit for busy managers or a stop for enchanted and curious tourists, expresses the various faces of the city through its many facets. As soon as it was finished, the Galleria became immediately famous for its large size, extraordinary for the time and sign of a new era.
Address: Piazza del Duomo, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala, one of the world’s greatest opera houses, has hosted some of Italy’s most famous opera and other performances. Located in downtown, this 18th-century theater and cultural landmark, magnificently restored in 2004, seats many of its 2,000 spectators in elegant boxes adorned with gold leaf and red velvet.
Address: Via Filodrammatici, 2, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Pinacoteca di Brera
The Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery) houses one of the main art collections of Renaissance art in Italy with over 500 works dating from the 14th- 20th century. Opened to the public in 1809, it is situated in a beautiful 17th-century building alongside the Accademia di Belli Arti (Academy of Fine Arts) in the Palazzo di Brera.
Address: Via Brera, 28, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Royal Palace of Milan
The Palazzo Reale, a former royal palace with its large halls, refined furnishings, and sweeping staircase, is today an important exhibition venue and cultural center. With a space of 7,000 square meters, it regularly displays modern and contemporary artworks including many famous collections from around the world in collaboration with renowned museums and cultural institutions.
Address: Piazza del Duomo, 12, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio
St Ambrose, the city patron saint, and one-time superstar bishop, is buried in the crypt of this red-brick cathedral. It’s a fitting legacy, built and rebuilt with a purposeful simplicity that is truly uplifting: the seminal Lombard Romanesque basilica. Shimmering altar mosaics and a biographical golden altarpiece, which once served as the cladding for the saint’s sarcophagus, light up the shadowy vaulted interior.
Address: Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, 15, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Via Monte Napoleone
The beautiful Via Monte Napoleone traces the old city walls built by Roman Emperor Maximian. In the first half of the 19th century, the street was reconstructed almost entirely in a neoclassical style and lined with the palaces of Milan’s highest aristocracy. As World War II came to a close, Via Monte Napoleone was transformed into Milan’s most sought-after fashion destination. Important buildings in the precinct include the Palazzo Melzi di Cusano, the Casa Carcassola and the Palazzetta Tarverna.
Basilica di San Lorenzo
Built at the close of the 4th century, this church is one of the oldest in the city, rebuilt several times after fires in the 11th and 12th centuries and the collapse of the cupola in 1573. In front of the church is the Colonne di San Lorenzo, 16 Corinthian columns dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, thought to have been moved here from a pagan temple in the 300s. In the center of the courtyard, Emporer Constantine stands in bronze, a tribute to his Edict of Milan in 313, which ended Christian persecution within the Roman Empire.
Address: Corso di Porta Ticinese, 35, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Triennale
The Triennale di Milano is a center for contemporary art, architecture, and design and has a reputation for being at the forefront on all of these disciplines. Rather than being a museum in the classical sense – one with a fixed collection – it is a space with continuously changing exhibitions.
Address: Viale Emilio Alemagna, 6, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Milan Public Transport:
Metro, Buses, and Trams
There are 4 underground lines, called Metropolitana. They run from 6 to 12.30 a.m., about every 2 mins or so in peak hour, less frequently (every 5-7 mins) during the rest of the day and at weekends. The metro is a great way to travel in Milan.
Single tickets are €1.50 and are valid for 90 minutes. Within the 90 mins, you can do one journey on the underground and unlimited trips on buses and trams. Tickets are sold at electronic ticket machines in the station, or at tobacconists and newsstands. You can download the free ATM app for network maps and timetables.
Click on the image to see it bigger.
Tickets & Passes
One-day ticket Valid for 24 hours; €4.50
Two-day ticket Valid for 48 hours; €8.25
Carnet of 10 tickets Valid for 90 minutes each; €13.80
Evening ticket Valid from 8 pm until the end of service; €3
Buses/Trolleybuses
Wherever the Metro doesn’t go, at least one bus will. There are over 100 bus lines connecting the city and the suburbs. Buses run from 5 to 1 a.m, but some may finish earlier or start later, especially at weekends, and you can’t buy tickets on board.
Trams
Milan also has numerous trams crisscrossing town. Some still use the old ‘Carrelli’ streetcars, built in the 1920s, making them the longest continuously-running public transport vehicles in use. Same as buses, you can’t buy tickets from the driver. Trams usually run longer than buses, from 5 to 1.30-2 a.m. A trip on a Carrelli tram is a great and affordable sightseeing experience. Lines 1, 5, 19 and 33 always use vintage streetcars.
Taxi
Taxis cannot be signaled but must be picked up at assigned places, usually outside train stations, large hotels and in major piazze. You can call a cab on 02 40 40, 02 69 69, 02 85 85 or 02 77 77.
If you’re going to Milan Design Week 2018 don’t forget to book a meeting and visit us at Pavilion 1, Stand D06!
