Milano
I've never watched the whole of Eat Pray Love. The movie is too long and gets a bit boring and self-involved, and I have better things to do than watch Julia Roberts find inner peace. I have, however, watched the Italian part of the movie a couple of times: only for the food, the sights, the people and that pasta eating scene. I had never been to Italy before this trip with my brother, and as soon as I landed in the simmering heat of Milano, I knew that a long lasting love affair with this country had begun. If Rome's word is sex, then Milan's word is style, a word Italians know how to do in every capacity. The people of Milan look so polished and put together, you wonder if there is a fashion week perpetually taking place, inviting such masterful street style.
Some tips on being Milanese: walk around with an air of knowing, wear Persol sunglasses and cycle in a suit in peak summer during a heat wave without breaking a sweat, but merely glow, like a golden ballerina. Drink an espresso standing up at the cafe bar, never at a table, and carry a helmet in your hand- even if you don't have a Scooter. Have hair unaffected by the heat or humidity, despite it being 34 degrees Celsius. Gesture emphatically when you're talking, or even when you're not talking to be truly Italian. Most importantly eat Gelato and lots of it. While surrounded by the bewitching sun kissed city of Milano, you suddenly want to dress better, be better and become a more elegant version of yourself.
My brother and I stayed in a wonderful air bnb in the student part of the city, called città studi. Disclaimer, some Italians apartments do not have lifts, and if most do, you will undoubtedly be staying in an apartment block that doesn’t have one, in a room on the seventh floor, and will have to ungracefully huff up the stairs with your 20 kg suitcase. The view will make up for this, I hope. I was, however, grateful for the exercise the stairs to our apartment offered in the long run, as the gelato I ate every day would inevitably take up residence on my hips. Staying in an apartment made us feel like we were locals and with access to a kitchen, it made breakfast and other meals we felt like cooking easy. Staying in the città studi of the city had its advantages too, namely the fact that there was a pizzeria near the student residences that stayed open until 1am with a gelataria attached to it. This made for a quick escape from the night time heat, cooled off by the succour of a two Euro gelato cup.
Transportation around Italy is fairly easy if you’re fluent in Italian. My Italian is unfortunately limited to ciao, per favore and the few words I learnt through reading music, but ritadando and crescendo won’t get one very far on a bus. However, there is a plethora of transportation offered, and you can choose the metro, a bus or the tram. However, the mode of transport I would recommend is bicycle. Cycling through a city is probably the best way to see and experience it. If you get lost, it’s okay, because you’re lost in beautiful Milan and you may discover a few hidden treasures on an unexpected adventure. Did I almost cycle into both a Vespa and a taxi on two separate occasions? Yes. Did I get yelled at in Italian? Maybe. Was is worth it? Definitely. The bike system is fairly easy to master- you have to register online and pay 4,00 Euros for one day and 9,00 for a week. Once you rent a bike from one of the many stations in the city, you have thirty minutes to get to the next station or you will be charged a euro fifty for every half hour you are late. There is nothing quite like beautiful buildings rushing past you, with the smell of strong coffee and beautiful Italians passing by in an olive toned blur.
Besides their good looks and style, what makes Italians as enigmatic as they are is the fact that they live off of rich carbs and cheese, yet all seem to be whippet thin. There is no place for a diet in Italy, so abandon any carb free fantasies and indulge in all the napoletana your heart desires. My brother’s friend Yagna, who recently moved to Milan, took us to two quintessentially Italian restaurants in the city. For pizza, we went to Pizza AM, an unassuming little restaurant by day that becomes unrecognisable by its large queue of people outside the door by night. The effervescent Pasquale bubbled out the door of the restaurant and greeted Yagna like an old friend, bringing with him prosecco and the promise of a little taster for us to enjoy while we waited for our table. The restaurant is small, but packed full to capacity and you know it’s authentic because most of the patrons are Italian. The menu isn’t large but I assure you every pizza is good. The meal must be ended with at least one shot of Limoncello or Meloncello, followed by the four others Mario offers you on your way to the counter to pay the bill. Not that one would encounter much difficulty finishing off an authentic Italian pizza, but never don’t finish your pizza at a restaurant, take away boxes aren’t chic in Italy apparently.
For pasta, yagna took us to Ristorante da Oscar, a classic Italian restaurant, decorated by very questionable fascist quotes and photographs, and typical Italian décor which would look unbecoming anywhere else in the world. The restaurant is run by Oscar, a mysterious man who walks around the restaurant, occasionally talking to patrons. Talking often escalates to Oscar yelling at the whole restaurant, whilst tables shush each other. What Oscar’s Italian soliloquies were about will forever remain a mystery to me, yet they did rouse laughter and applause from his Italian listeners. It is undisclosed if this was because of his charm and unfailing wit, or out of fear stemming from the controversial wall décor, and Oscar’s overall aloof character. Oscar aside, this was the best damn pasta I have ever eaten. The portion was large and whilst eating the perfectly cooked pasta, I suddenly felt like Julia Roberts and understood why the director had dedicated a whole scene to her eating pasta while smiling broadly on the edge of piazza somewhere in Rome. In fact the movie should have ended on that scene, because the eating of my pasta was a spiritual experience for me personally and I found inner peace right there and then in the middle of Milan, seated next to a Mussolini quote.
We were in Italy during an especially hot summer, and thanks to my brother, we found a place to cool down. The Bagni Misterioso is a beautiful public swimming pool, opposite a theatre not far from the centre of Milan. Everything about the pool made me feel like I was in a 1950’s movie. Make sure that you take swimming caps along with you though, as it is mandatory to wear them while swimming in the pool. If you forget to bring one, fear not, as they are sold at the pool but for quite a price. The crisp water was a respite from cycling in the heat, and felt like a slice of holiday in the middle of the city, sun baked Italians included.
Visiting the Duomo is obligatory in Milan, and the silvery spires extending up into the blue sky are breathtakingly beautiful. If you want a good view of the city, then I would recommend paying to do the full tour of the cathedral, roof included. There are plenty of stairs to get to the top of the Duomo, but the panorama of the city is exquisite. To go inside the Duomo, as a woman, you’ll be required to cover your arms, chest and legs which are most definitely exposed during a Milanese summer. I would recommend taking a scarf or shawl along or you can buy a cheap poncho from the gift shop where you purchase tickets. Next to the Piazza in front of the Duomo is the Il Quadrilatero d’Oro, Golden Square, which is a beautiful boutique shopping district. Lined with designer boutiques and clad in marble and gold, it’s beautiful just to look and people watch and has been a favourite backdrop of the famous blogger Chaira Ferragni for lots of her earlier shoots.
I believe a bit of my soul will always remain tethered to Milano, and I will continue to drink Aperol Spritz and eat too much Nutella Gelato to remain connected to the city. This first rendezvous of our relationship was passionate and quick, but will no doubt endure as there is too much beckoning me back.
