For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
The hub of the designer shopping area around Via Montenapoleone is gold-card nirvana, where you’ll find local heroes Missoni, Armani and Etro, fantastic vintage, and highly covetable design and kitchenwares. Eating and partying here are equally as stylish, with bars and clubs designed to appeal to the crème de la cognoscenti, and sushi fit for the fussiest supermodel.
Find a bargain at the antiques fair in Navigli, 8.30am–6.30pm, on the last Sunday of every month except July and August. Have a treatment at the Gianfranco Ferré spa (+39 02 7601 7526). Walk from the Duomo to La Scala via the elegant shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, window-shopping all the way.
… poking your nose into Milan's foremost fashion mecca, X Corso Como (+39 (0)2 2900 2674): this boutique is to Milan what Colette is to Paris (only better), and stocks probably the best selection of labels you're ever likely to find under one roof. Fashion-forward? This place is beyond next year…
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Milan
The Hotel Straf in Milan is a destination for the style-conscious. Vincenzo de Cotiis’ design has made the place an art installation in itself.
Tucked away on a quiet street in the city centre, Milan's Bulgari Hotel is a fashionable chocolate box of browns, blacks and whites, with an expensive, soft-minimal feel.
The Gray is super-stylish and utterly central, with the Duomo at the end of the street, La Scala and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele round the corner.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
February Carnevale Ambrosiano, with floats and crowds processing to the Piazza del Duomo, ending on the first Saturday in Lent. Fashion week (autumn/winter collections). April International Salone del Mobile, the giant furniture fair, recently renamed Milan Design Week to reflect its broad appeal. May Pittori sul Naviglio: an outdoor art show along Alzia Naviglio Grande canal. July/August Summer concerts, Thursday evenings in Wilson Park. September Fashion week (spring/summer collections). December Opera season starts.
This is the sort of place you’ll either love or hate, with red-velvet decor, chandeliers, crucifix-covered drapes and dressed-up mannequins; it’s easy to forget you’re meant to be here for the food.
Via Broggi 17
This establishment calls itself a birreria con cucina (beer cellar with kitchen); locals come here for excellent evening meals in relaxed surroundings.
Via Palermo 21
Owner-chef Claude Sadler's restaurant is one of the most celebrated in Milan. A devotion to prime ingredients results in some unforgettable dishes, such as spaghetti with scorpion-fish sauce.
Via Conchetta, 14 (Via Troilo)
A buzzing, no-frills trattoria in the Porta Romana district that serves authentic Roman cuisine. Sit around small wooden tables and dine on specialities like tagliatalle with fresh courgettes, wild boar and rabbit with sage and rosemary.
Via Ludovico Muratori, 10
The Via Pisoni branch of a well-respected international phenomenon does Japanese-Peruvian fusion like its global siblings, in a corner of the Armani mini-mall.
Via Pisoni 1 (corner of Via Manzoni)
This sparkling-white restaurant serves delicious and imaginative Italian cuisine against a minimalist backdrop.
Via Piero della Francesca, 68
A super-trendy Michelin-starred restaurant and black-velvet lounge bar combo frequented by TV and football stars.
Via Melchiorre Gioia, 69
This atmospheric osteria in the canal district serves up pasta in copper cauldrons and prides itself on creating unique dishes. Specialities include home-made tortelloni in a basil cream, meat fondue and, of course, their tasty risotto.
Corso Porta Ticinese, 70
The fin-de-siècle furnishings, dark-wood paneling, and old-fashioned lamps still look much as they must have when this eatery opened 100 years ago. The authentic Old Milan menu is in keeping too, offering risotto, minestrone, polenta and osso buco.
Viale Pasubio, 10
This rather hip brunch stop, with help-yourself homemade salads, pasta and pudding, is also a massage parlour and design shop.
Via Tortona, 12
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