Milan Cityguide: 48 hours with Madeleine Alizadeh

For the third edition of our city guide features, we decided to get a real insider on board: Madeleine, the lady behind dariadaria.com, who moved to Milano for a year to study fashion photography. Not only did she have an amazing time living the italian lifestyle, but she also brought back some great tips for us to share with you guys! Are you ready for Milano with Madeleine? A hint: cappuccinos, shopping and lots of food are involved – so this can only be a good one!

Day 1

Ciao, benvenuti a Milano! No matter if it’s fashion week or salone del mobile (the busiest times of the year) – remember to pack some fashionable items in your suitcase, if not you might feel underdressed very quickly. Even though Italy’s industrial capital has a lot more to offer than endless shopping tours, plan in a few hours for the never-ending miles of shops on the many shopping streets. Coming to Milan the first thing you want to see is the famous Duomo, on a beautiful day consider hiking up. Makes you work off the pizza and gives you a great view!

From Duomo, head down Corso Vittoria Emanuele, the most famous shopping street. The crowds become to busy? Take a break at Luini’s, a tiny little take away bistro, famous for their fried mini-calzone. From Luini’s, the famous streets like Via Montenapoleone or or Via della Spiga are not far. Even though your budget might not suit the prices there, just seeing the incredible decorated windows of Hermes, Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana should be impressive enough. If you come by the Emporio Armani Caffé: go inside! Don’t worry about being underdressed and don’t worry about prices. It’s way more relaxed than people might think.

By now it’s probably dinner time, which supposes one of the hardest decisions in a country where food is better than in most other places. In Milan though it can be quite hard to find a non touristy place. In Brera (old town) there’s many options for aperitivo. Never heard of aperitivo? Well, then your life will change now! In most bars during aperitivo time, you can buy a drink for about 8€ and consume snacks at the bars buffet. They mostly serve olives, prosciutto but also pizza, pasta and caprese. If you’re looking for a slightly heavier meal, find yourself a nice little Trattoria in Brera, there are tons!

Day 2

If you have eaten too much the night before, which can be quite the case in Italy, where dinner is supposed to be the biggest meal, do it like the italians do for breakfast: have a cappuccino and a little brioche (small pastry). Best place can be Via Savona, a little street in behind Porta Genova. Right around the corner, in Via Tortona, there’s „California Bakery“ – an Instagram heaven for bloggers or people who are into super cute interiors and picture perfect cakes. Right next to California Bakery in Via Tortona, you can find one of the best selected outlets in town. Dmagazine outlet is a true gem, hidden in Via Forcella. There you will find bargains from Dolce & Gabanna, Balmain, Lanvin and many more.

From Zona Tortona, head back to Porta Genova, and explore the Navigli district. The more un-touristy, young area of town is full of second hand shops, cool cafés and much more. Navigli is also a great area when it comes to nightlife, in case you’re planing to stay longer than a night. My favorite for cocktails: Luca e Andrea – if there make sure to order „Love At First Sight“, one of the best cocktails I have ever had.

And make sure to learn a few words Italian, Milanese people are not the biggest fan of English. But hey, it’s easy! „Ciao“ can be used both for saying „hi“ and „goodbye“ – so actually you’ll be Milan-proof in no time.

 **pictures via Madeleine Alizadeh/Daria Daria
**picture Dmagazine Outlet via