milan, italy

Our first stop in Italy: the fashion capital of the world! After 4 days in Milan, here are our impressions:

1. The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. They say it is harder to get a ticket to see the Last Supper than it is to meet the Pope! Seeing Da Vinci’s larger than life mural in person was a surreal experience. When you learn about the Last Supper in school, it is a tiny picture on a page. In real life, it is a 15ft by 29ft mural painted in the dining hall all of the Convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie. Tickets to see the Last Supper sell out six months in advance - we got lucky 4 nights before we got there and scored (unfortunately) only one ticket. MK went this time and we will definitely be back for Patrick to experience.  

2. The food! Thanks to some amazing recommendations for our friends Zoe and Anna, our dinner spots (meals and ambience) were some of the best we have had on this trip.

• Ratana - Zoe Messinger recommended this super cool spot. We called 20 minutes ahead and scored a seat at the bar (typically this spot is reservation only)
• Ristorante La Libera -  The coolest part of posting our trip on social media is the outreach we get! Patrick's friend Anna, who he hasn’t seen since high school, lives in Milan and reached out on Instagram. We met Anna and her boyfriend, Nick, for dinner at La Libera. It's their favorite restaurant in Milan and old school Italian. The restaurant is an institution and the owner is famous and wears a different colorful three-piece suit every day. We were the only guests that he didn’t know by name. Do not miss the baked chocolate ice cream for dessert! 
• Carlo e Camilla - With no sign, Patrick immediately questioned MK when we got out of the uber in a random side street. However, upon walking around the block, ringing the doorbell and finally guessing the right gate, it could not have been cooler! An abandoned industrial warehouse turned into a restaurant with a few long communal tables and gorgeous chandeliers. Really simple, very chic, and great food! 
• Lateria - It came highly recommended from Zoe Messinger and we would easily say that it is the best dinner we had in Milan. We were told to go early because they do not take reservations and there is always a line. It is a 50 year old restaurant run by a husband and wife, sits about 20 people, and could not be more authentic. Based on the close proximity of the tables, we ended up on a double date! The couple we met are in their late 60s, have been married for 10 years, and (get this) have been doing long-distance between Los Angeles and Milano for their entire relationship. She loves in Milan, he lives in LA and they couldn't be happier! We bonded instantly after hearing they honeymooned in Patagonia. We had a great night listening to their stories and getting advice on the Dolomites. For a night, we felt like locals!

3. The Duomo does not get enough credit. In the list of famous European churches (and we plan on ranking them!), this should be higher. The gothic architecture, the stain-glassed window apses, and the roof spires blew us away. 

• Pro tip: buy the fast pass tickets online through 'get your guide'…a few Euro more saved us about 2 hours in line
• Buy tickets to walk on the roof - such a cool experience! 

4. The shopping is, as you would expect, was amazing! And the Milanese dress very well—MK was in heaven and wrote down the details of every brand and cool outfit she saw. We found an awesome men’s shoe store that blew us away in terms of reasonable prices, great quality, and really cool styles.

5. Milan is a very walkable city. We stayed in the Brera district and had the ability to walk all over the city without too much trouble. Our friends Anna and Nick likened Brera to the West Village or Soho in NYC.

6. Speaking of NYC, we were pleasantly surprised at how similar the two cities are. Everyone talks fast, you are always in someone else’s way, and there are a million pigeons! 

people

• Anna & Nick 

places

• Restaurants
  • Breakfast/Lunch
    • Bianco Latte
    • Bar Luce
    • Da otto
    • God save the food
  • Dinner
    • Ratana
    • Carlo e Camilla
    • Ristorante La Libera
    • Latteria
    • Dry (pizza)
• Shops 
  • 10 Corso Como
  • Minuit
  • Wait and See
  • Cavalli e nostri
  • Wok store
  • Dictionary
  • 10 Corso Como
  • Frip
  • Velasca (mens shoes)

things

• The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci - buy tickets well in advance here
• The Duomo - buy tickets to skip the line and walk on the roof! 
• Barry's Bootcamp Milano - we were pumped to go to a few Barry's classes in Milan!