Three Days in Milan: Food, Vintage Clothes, Design + Art
It gets a bad rap, but here's how to do it right. And just in time for Salone!
Two weeks ago, I went to Milan with my best friend, Mia Locks. Mia was curating Miranda July’s solo show at The Fondazione Prada, and I had snagged a gig reviewing the show for Cultured Magazine (here is the article if you are a fan of July).
The last time I had been to Milan was 20 years ago. My memories are mostly of the killer mosquitoes that were in our sweltering apartment, and the Red Bull and vodkas at a rave on the outskirts of town. Needless to say, it was nothing like the chic city I see in my Instagram feed these days, especially during events like Salone and fashion week.
I reject all those reductionist platitudes like, “there’s no culture in Los Angeles,” or, “Parisians are rude,” and, “Milan is not pretty.” I will hop on a plane to any destination if you offer me a plane ticket (this has landed me in some pretty weird situations). An optimist at heart, I believe there’s a streak of magic to be found in every city on earth if you are willing to look for it. It’s true: Milan is the epicenter of Italian industrial production (the air pollution is some of the worst in the world, a sad surprise to me). But I would argue that the Milan is interesting precisely because it’s a place where things are still made alongside old-world Italian charm and traditions.
The town is held together by centrifugal force from the Duomo, built in 1386, a drippy castle cathedral up-lit at night so it glows like a friendly ghost. By contrast, the industrial towers of the Fondazione Prada,—Miuccia’s century-old distillery turned art museum—is just 30 minutes by foot. It can feel like Milan is a city brought to you by Prada, with their stamp on everything from art to dining. But beyond fashion, this is also an epicenter of functional design. To see how the other half lived, then and now, small mansion museums offer private collections of handmade lace, and ancient time pieces, and contemporary furniture galleries invite you to drop $20,000 on a statement chair.
When it comes to food, Milan is like any cosmopolitan city — you have to know where to go (when fashion is the main event, food is often an afterthought). As a pescatarian, you need to be strategic to skirt the ubiquitous veal Milanese, but I can help with that! And the shopping, oooohhh the shopping. This is the only place in the world where one half of the neighborhood farmers market is dedicated to high-end cashmere.
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