Tag: Milan Travel

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And Now, Your Moment of Zen (From High Above the Alps)

Where: Milan, Italy
February 18, 2011 at 4:04 PM | by | Comments (0)

One of the major perks to flying to Europe from the US is not just that you're on your way to Europe for heaven's sakes, but also that you'll likely be treated to some amazing sights outside your plane window. For example, on both our recent to and from flights for JFK-Milan on American Airlines, we enjoyed almost a full hour of looking straight down to the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss and Italian Alps. There's nothing quite like being reminded exactly how high in altitude those peaks are as when you're sharing airspace with them.

If you're heading to Switzerland for some skiing or northern Italy for any reason, be sure to choose your seat for the best views based on the POSH rule—port out, starboard home—and you too can catch the full panorama, kinda like this:

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Know When and Where Fashion Week Will Hit Next

February 17, 2011 at 4:08 PM | by | Comments (0)

Hey New York, congratulations! You've made it through another Fashion Week yes you have, but before it comes around again in just over six months from now, Fashion Week will go on to take over several more cities around the world: London, Milan, and Paris. What they don't tell you about Fashion Week is that it's really Fashion Month, and tourists to each of the four major cities hosting scores of models, scenesters, celebrities and the runway shows they attend, may be blindsided by the sudden unavailability of select tourist attractions or great bars and restaurants.

Therefore, it's a good idea to arm yourself with the knowledge of when and where the Fashion Pack is heading, and either avoid those cities on those dates or, if you're into models choking public transportation and not being able to get into clubs to hit on them, book a trip.

Here's the rest of the Fashion Month schedule:

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The Street Art Manhole Covers of Milan's Via Montenapoleone

Where: Via Montenapoleone, Milan, Italy
February 10, 2011 at 3:26 PM | by | Comments (0)

Via Montenapoleone in Milan. It's the Italian equivalent of New York's 5th Avenue or Avenue Montaigne in Paris, but Via Montenapoleone is a bit smaller, slightly less of a tourist draw during the low season (aka winter, so long as it's not Fashion Week). We recently took a stroll down it just to take advantage of what it's best for, which is not shopping, but window shopping. We were all set to focus our gaze on shiny patent pumps and quilted bags, but instead we spent all our time looking down at the sidewalk, and the unexpected street art right below our feet.

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The Italian Machine That Can Put Starbucks Out of Business

Where: Italy
February 3, 2011 at 2:27 PM | by | Comments (0)

Here's something that many who've visited Italy and definitely those who live there already know: one of the first and best friends you can make is your local barista. You see, when a place has the simple sign for a "BAR," that doesn't indicate a place for ordering booze, but rather for coffee, panini, pastries and other sweets and it's from your barista that you can hear the day's gossip and get a perfectly pulled espresso. Or...you could just learn how to use one of these super-easy Lavazza Blue machines, which, if widely introduced into the states (like, on every street corner in Manhattan especially), could put Starbucks out of business.

You find these machines typically in shops that don't have the space or money to install a proper bar with barista. Occasionally, these are even on the street and in other public places, like train stations. This particular one we fell in love with inside a pastry shop in Bergamo, so let us introduce you:

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Foreign Grocery Friday: The Sweet Treat of 'Polenta e Osei' in Bergamo, Italy

Where: Bergamo, Italy
January 28, 2011 at 2:23 PM | by | Comments (0)

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

When you're traveling through Italy it can quickly appear as though each city, each little town has its own specialty pasta, or pastry, or both. Well they really do, and in Bergamo--a medieval town about an hour's train ride northeast from Milan--the dish is a sweet trick played by making cake take the appearance of polenta. It's called "Polenta e Osei," which translates to polenta and birds, specifically little ones like uccellini, or swallows. The dish can be prepared as actual polenta with actual birds, but for the sweet Bergamasco version, it's only yellow cake with a chocolate bird.

The Taste:
To make the "polenta" appear to have the correct texture, the cake (topped with yellow fondant) is rolled in sugar crystals. These form the first impression upon biting in: "wow, this is pretty crunchy!" Alas, once beyond the sugar, you hit the plain yellow cake and the real money--the sweet, whipped hazelnut cream heart. We were tempted just to scoop this out and devour it without the dry cake around. On top of the whole thing is a dollop of apricot marmalade and, naturally, a perched chocolate swallow to complete the "Osei" requirement.

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Can You Name These Pasta Versions of Italian Monuments?

Where: Milan, Italy
January 27, 2011 at 12:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

Ahh...duty-free souvenirs. Buying stuff at the airport is always a Catch-22; you have extra currency and maybe want to bring home a few extra things to give as gifts, but you sure don't want to pay the prices they charge and sometimes, the selection just sucks.

Not so at Milan's Malpensa Airport, however. Yesterday, while we (thankfully) caught the last direct flight back to JFK before the snow cancellations set in, we managed to stock up on everything from Provolone cheese and Bresaola cured beef to squid ink-infused risotto. And then we grabbed the most kitschy souvenir of all—the 4 Euro Monumenti d'Italia bag of multicolore pasta. The details are...glorious.

Can you name all of the Italian landmarks depicted in the pasta above? Answers this way...

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Dolce & Gabbana Take Over Milan's City Hall for 20th Anniversary Menswear Exhibit

Where: Piazza della Scala, Milan, Italy
June 22, 2010 at 3:45 PM | by | Comments (0)

Hot men and haute menswear is dominating Milan this week as Men's Fashion Week wraps up, but although the runway and cocktail hours are private, invite-only events, they are often held in the best, most normally tourist-friendly areas. This way, even if you aren't among the select fashionistas to walk the red carpet, you'll still be able to visit and enjoy the scenery on any other normal day.

Case in point: Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian designer label by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, recently celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their Menswear Collection, and they did so in grand style with a giant fashion show and after-party at Palazzo Marino, Milan's City Hall, which spilled out into Piazza della Scala.

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Milan Now Brewing Fashion Coffee Thanks to Marc Jacobs

January 18, 2010 at 10:35 AM | by | Comments (0)


This is who will be serving your coffee: Marc Jacobs

Just a little bit ago, our sister site HotelChatter wondered about what Marc Jacobs was up to, making faux hotel key chains for sale in his stores. We considered the possibility that, with fashion designers popping up their own new hotels left and right, that Marc could be the next to strike out and fashion more than just clothing. And in a way, it turns out we were right.

When Marc's new flagship store opens in the Brera district of Milan, it will have a full cafe inside of it. And this won't be some specialty place; it's going to be open for fashionable morning commuters at 7:30am all the way until people begin stumbling towards their second club of the night at 2am. Vogue UK tell us that the store itself, all 3,100-square-feet of it, will be a wake up call with neon signage and navy floors and shelves—such a departure from the usually moody, luxe interiors of designer boutiques.

Forget haute couture, let's have a haute latte! Okay, that was a bad joke, but you get what we mean; designers be diversifying! We're adding Marc's cafe to our list of places to visit next time we swing by Milan.

Related Stories:
· Cafe di Marc [Vogue UK]
· Will Marc Jacobs Be the Next Fashion Designer to do a Hotel? [HotelChatter]
· Fashion Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Superfuture]

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Indispensable Italy Tips: Beware Bread Baskets And Bare Shoulders

Where: Italy
September 3, 2009 at 1:14 PM | by | Comments (0)


Italy's ancient sites are beautiful but not always handicapped-accessible.

If you're heading to Italy soon, we're totally jealous. We can't get enough of its wonderful cities: Bologna, Venice, Rome, Florence—we just want to move there already. Before you go, here are some tips we've gleaned during our own Italy travels:

· Beware of petty crimes. According to the U.S. Department of State, crimes such as pick-pocketing, theft from parked cars and purse snatching are serious problems, especially in large cities. Be on guard at crowded places like Milan's Central Station and the Trevi Fountain. And thieves in Italy often work in groups or pairs to divert your attention.

· Italy isn't handicapped-accessible. Italy's beauty lies in its ancient buildings, but most aren't equipped with wheelchair ramps and elevators. Buses aren't generally wheelchair-accessible, either.

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What's the Italian Word For 'Asbestos?' Because Milan's La Scala Has It

Where: Milan, Italy
September 2, 2009 at 5:11 PM | by | Comments (0)


Yes, we know that's a radiation icon, but we mean it in a Hazmat capacity

A fat lady singing can't do anything for asbestos removal, as Milan's La Scala is finding out. Back in spring, officials in Milan discovered the toxic stuff in the famed opera house's ceiling, and they've just now closed down the 270 seats of the uppermost tier in order to begin removal.

This poses a problem for the tourists who, in last few months, have possibly been exposed to asbestos from officials rustling up there, but thankfully it's been confirmed that there's no spread of asbestos. Ticket holders will either be offered an upgrade to better and less toxic eating, or, if that's unavailable, then a simple refund. No loud Italian opera for the cheapskates, we guess.

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The 'Abraham Obama' Image Takes On Milan

Where: Via Cola Montano 15, Milan, Italy
July 9, 2009 at 8:56 AM | by | Comments (0)

It's a great summer for a trip to Italy; not only is Venice hosting their art biennale, but Milan today kicks off a gallery exhibition of the "pop"-aganda artist Ron English.

Most famous for his "Abraham Obama" image pictured above, Ron takes inspiration from cartoons, corporate branding, and the works of Andy Warhol. As a result, his paintings and posters are bright riffs on popular culture meant to inspire re-examination of the symbols we see everyday; for example, his work was featured in the movie Super Size Me.

Although we occasionally are lucky enough to spot some of his posters around the corner, heading to Milan to see his oeuvre sounds way more exotic. The Don Gallery will host the exhibition from today through August 25.

Related Stories:
· Ron English Exhibition at The Don Gallery Milan [Hypebeast]
· Popaganda [Ron English]
· Art Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Jaunted]

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Freccia Rossa Rides Its Inaugural Route From Milan to Rome

Where: Milan, Italy
March 25, 2009 at 12:18 PM | by | Comments (2)

Italy's new high-speed train service, Freccia Rossa ("Red Arrow"), made its inaugural high-speed rail service yesterday from Milan to Rome. The new service now lets travelers get from the fashion capital to the Eternal City in just three hours. (Currently, the trip takes about four hours.) Passengers can also get from Florence to Bologna in just 35 minutes, down from one hour.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi rode the inaugural trip, even posing in the pilot's cabin wearing the chief engineer's hat. He looks so...cute?

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