Globalista

Pack your smartest clothes: Milan is Italy's social and fashion nexus. Some feel the city lacks the love-at-first-sight charms of Rome, Florence or Venice, and in parts Milan is very industrial looking, but it more than makes up for any architectural shortcomings with its inherent style and cutting-edge design. Nowhere else in the world will you see such a staggering amount of smart locals, whether dressed head to toe in fur, Giorgio Armani, or the ubiquitous sleek black uniform of the young, Milan has an attitude, and in truth an arrogance, that truly sets it apart from other Italian cities. Twice a year, the fashion industry descends for a week of catwalk shows and fabulous parties, drawing everyone from Kate Moss to Dolce and Gabbana. And, beyond the edge of the new, Milan is also home to La Scala, the greatest and grandest operatic experience in Europe, stunning art - including The Last Supper - the third largest cathedral in Europe, and a mass of secret leafy courtyards and little churches. So whilst Milan is very much a theatre of people on show, it is also ironically, a city which slowly reveals its charms. Come for a weekend of shopping, eating and opera and you won't be disappointed.

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Old fashioned, bathed in a golden light, and fabulously decadent, the Four Seasons, Milan is definitely the best loved hotel in the city. This is where Anna Wintour, Joan Burstein and Gilles Bensimon stay when they are in town. But don't let that put you off. This hotel is a proper grande dame. The lobby was originally a chapel and there are some beautiful fresco remains as well as a courtyard flooded with sunlight. Even if you don't stay here, come for a drink - the olives are the plumpest anywhere and the Rossini cocktails delicious. The service is impeccable, there's a spa on the way, and the whole place is elegant, calm and cosseting. The location, right in the heart of the shopping action is also hard to beat. Meanwhile, tucked away off a little street and set in a vast and pretty garden (which is lovely in the summer), The Bulgari is a close second. It's a little younger than the Four Seasons, both in age and style, with bold contemporary interiors in a warming palette of creams, caramels and chocolates. The 54 rooms are fresh and bright, with bowls of help-yourself blueberries and big fires crackling in winter. Spa fans will love the decadent treatment menu. For something smaller and more boutique, head to The Gray. The name is misleading, as this hotel is a riot of colour. Hot pinks, oranges and reds have been used to decorate the 21 rooms, two of which have private gyms. Look out for the pink swing in reception.

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Useful Feedback

I am a longtime resident in Milan and this Globalista guide is really very, very good. Globalista have covered just about everything there is to see and do in Milan, it really is a comprehensive guide to this city.

Sunty Taylor, Milan resident

Globalista’s Pick of the Press

12 April 2009 - The Times - Milanese feast on a tram
29 March 2009 - The Independent - Explore Milan
2 March 2009 - Condé Nast Daily Traveler - Milan Fashion Week: Time to nosh
22 November 2008 - The Times - Grant Thatcher of Luxe City Guides reveals his 24 hours in Milan

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