The flights were cheap, we could use loyalty points for the hotel and it was an easy drive for our dear friends to drive down from their home on Lake Annecy to meet us. The Milanese PR also said they had Christmas Markets. So why not?
The verdict? If Christmas markets are your prime objective, stick to places north of the Alps. There was a pleasant spread of stalls around the Cathedral, typical of most German-style markets with a bit more emphasis on food. Given that Milan is the home of the Christmas staple, panettone, I was hoping to find lots of artisan makers hawking special varieties. Nope. The market promoted as the biggest in Milan, running around three sides of the Sforza Castle, had little Christmas theming. Most of its stalls were reminiscent of a low-end Saturday town market. Despite there being little to tempt, the crowds were fierce.
The verdict? If Christmas markets are your prime objective, stick to places north of the Alps. There was a pleasant spread of stalls around the Cathedral, typical of most German-style markets with a bit more emphasis on food. Given that Milan is the home of the Christmas staple, panettone, I was hoping to find lots of artisan makers hawking special varieties. Nope. The market promoted as the biggest in Milan, running around three sides of the Sforza Castle, had little Christmas theming. Most of its stalls were reminiscent of a low-end Saturday town market. Despite there being little to tempt, the crowds were fierce.
Decorations around the city centre are pleasant, with the most picturesque scenes being in front of the Duomo and in the Galleria, but there’s nothing extraordinary. A further drawback is likely to be the weather, which in Milan in December has a fair chance of being cold, wet and misty. You’ll get the same weather with better markets and decorations in London.
However, if you think of Christmas theming as a small bonus and concentrate on the bigger picture, it’s obvious that Milan is a fantastic location for a quick weekend break. With its easy transport links, sophisticated social scene, dignified architecture, phenomenal restaurants, upscale shops and a shortlist of cultural blockbusters, there’s enough here to give you a great four days without overwhelming you.
However, if you think of Christmas theming as a small bonus and concentrate on the bigger picture, it’s obvious that Milan is a fantastic location for a quick weekend break. With its easy transport links, sophisticated social scene, dignified architecture, phenomenal restaurants, upscale shops and a shortlist of cultural blockbusters, there’s enough here to give you a great four days without overwhelming you.
It’s been years since I’d been here; at least 17, given that this is its first appearance in Bencard’s Bites. All of my adult knowledge of the place was work-related. I spent a lot of time here on a project in the late ‘90s and had returned after that for several conferences. I always found it pleasant enough but a bit boring compared to Tuscany and points further south. But I had roots here. I’d first set foot in Italy … and in Europe … when I spent a summer here living with a family in the hills outside of the metropolis.
The most significant change from a tourist perspective, however, is the restoration of the Navigli area, which was a rough, rarely-considered industrial zone when I last knew the city. Now, what was once the docks has become as popular with visitors as the central streets around the Duomo.
The geographically savvy amongst you will wonder at my use of “docks’, as Milan is neither on the coast nor can boast a major river. From the Middle Ages, however, it was home to an impressive network of canals linking it to the rest of Northern Italy, and they all converged in what’s now known as Navigli. Warehouses, workshops and later train lines followed. These days most of the canals have been filled in, but the Naviglio Grande has become a stately watercourse lined with imposing, restored buildings now hosting restaurants, bars, galleries and quirky shops.
The canal is the heart of the district but the attractions sprawl down streets branching from either side. It’s become the go-to place for nights out, a hub of noteworthy restaurants, and I suspect is also quite a fashionable place to live. Even on a grim Friday night in early December, the whole area was heaving. Bar hopping here on a clement May evening would doubtless be a non-stop party.
Cocktail bar Backdoor 43 is a glowing example of what makes this district so special. Inspired by American speakeasies of Prohibition days, you gain entry when you knock and a small hatch to one side slides open to ask your business. You’re unlikely to get in without a reservation, though you can order cocktails to go through the hatch. Inside is a space about the size of a walk-in closet, with room for up to four. You book for an hour, and in that time you enjoy the services of a private bartender who discusses your tastes and comes up with custom cocktails for each of you. In a typical hour, you’ll probably each have two. We were impressed with our bartender, who seemed to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject and came up with six radically different drinks for the three of us across our time slot. Only once did an attempt fail to delight the drinker; he immediately dumped that attempt at no charge and came up with another option that hit the mark.
The tiny space is beautifully decorated with polished dark wood panelling and shelves from an old pharmacy, towering to a ceiling decorated with a world map far above your head. Careful design means the bartender can reach scores of different options, including all sort of liqueurs decanted into oversized test tubes. A fabulous jazz soundtrack plays behind it all, though you can change the music to anything you fancy. This experience was as much a highlight of the trip. as DaVinci’s Last Supper; these are the two things you simply must book in advance. Backdoor 43 is actually an adjunct to the Mag Cafe next door, so if you wanted to continue drinking or get a bite to eat, one assumes the quality remains as high. We were off to a dinner reservation elsewhere. I’ll cover food in a separate article.
Our hotel, the Mercure Milano Solari, was on the edge of the district. It’s a slightly odd place that falls short of the usual Accor chain standards: marble floors and hard modern furniture might be stylish, but the lack of soft furnishings combined with intermittent heat meant a cold stay; the lobby and dining area/bar feel more like amenities in an office building than a hotel; the front desk messed up both our and our friends’ reservation, in the latter case leaving the exhausted couple waiting and potentially roomless for too long at 1 am, despite a confirmed reservation. A weird layout, broad variation in room designs and two different entrances makes me suspect this is a converted apartment building rather than a purpose-built hotel.
And yet, I’d probably stay here again. Why? Beside the loyalty programme points: location, location, location. It’s a 300 metre walk to the Metro station (Coni Zugna) that whisks you direct to Linate in about 25 minutes. Trams heading into the city centre are a short stumble from the front door. Depending on traffic, the Duomo is as close as 10 minutes. On foot, that same 10 minutes will take you to the Navigli Grande. The number of top quality restaurants between the hotel and the canal is staggering; you could probably eat in a different place every day for a month without ever needing any transport besides your feet.
The canal is the heart of the district but the attractions sprawl down streets branching from either side. It’s become the go-to place for nights out, a hub of noteworthy restaurants, and I suspect is also quite a fashionable place to live. Even on a grim Friday night in early December, the whole area was heaving. Bar hopping here on a clement May evening would doubtless be a non-stop party.
Cocktail bar Backdoor 43 is a glowing example of what makes this district so special. Inspired by American speakeasies of Prohibition days, you gain entry when you knock and a small hatch to one side slides open to ask your business. You’re unlikely to get in without a reservation, though you can order cocktails to go through the hatch. Inside is a space about the size of a walk-in closet, with room for up to four. You book for an hour, and in that time you enjoy the services of a private bartender who discusses your tastes and comes up with custom cocktails for each of you. In a typical hour, you’ll probably each have two. We were impressed with our bartender, who seemed to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject and came up with six radically different drinks for the three of us across our time slot. Only once did an attempt fail to delight the drinker; he immediately dumped that attempt at no charge and came up with another option that hit the mark.
Our hotel, the Mercure Milano Solari, was on the edge of the district. It’s a slightly odd place that falls short of the usual Accor chain standards: marble floors and hard modern furniture might be stylish, but the lack of soft furnishings combined with intermittent heat meant a cold stay; the lobby and dining area/bar feel more like amenities in an office building than a hotel; the front desk messed up both our and our friends’ reservation, in the latter case leaving the exhausted couple waiting and potentially roomless for too long at 1 am, despite a confirmed reservation. A weird layout, broad variation in room designs and two different entrances makes me suspect this is a converted apartment building rather than a purpose-built hotel.
And yet, I’d probably stay here again. Why? Beside the loyalty programme points: location, location, location. It’s a 300 metre walk to the Metro station (Coni Zugna) that whisks you direct to Linate in about 25 minutes. Trams heading into the city centre are a short stumble from the front door. Depending on traffic, the Duomo is as close as 10 minutes. On foot, that same 10 minutes will take you to the Navigli Grande. The number of top quality restaurants between the hotel and the canal is staggering; you could probably eat in a different place every day for a month without ever needing any transport besides your feet.
Like any location in Italy, dining is as important as history or culture. It is, of course, a component of both of those things. So coming next: the food.
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