Category: italian

What Katie Did in Milan: High Society at 10 Corso Como

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After rubbing shoulders with the rich and fabulous at the Teatro Alla Scala we had a bit of a taste for the high life. The next day we decided to take a look at 10 Corso Como, a trendy mix of fashion and design with a sprawling garden bar where you can escape the heat of a Milanese Summer. Opened in the 90’s 10 Corso Como is the brainchild of Italian Vogue editor Carla Sozzani and houses some of the most exciting and outrageous fashion and home decorating pieces i’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of place that only people who are Croesus-rich could shop at and I had so much fun imagining the kind of person who could wear velvet loafers studded with gold spikes of varying lengths, sporting a four figure price tag. If you’re on a budget (like we were, after splurging on the opera!) but still want a keepsake, there is a huge range of fashion photography and biography books. Some are in Italian and many are in English and there are also some cookbooks in the mix too. I ended up buying a cookbook of Milanese recipes written in Italian so that I could keep practising my language skills.

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If you’re far too broke or don’t want to use up valuable baggage kilos on a heavy book, you might just want to chill in the garden with a cool cocktail.

IMG_4297Cue picture of two delicious, icy cocktails!

I had a ginger and lime with dark rum and hubs had a gin fizz. I think it’s a bit of an Italian trait that the gin cocktails come with a maraschino cherry on top. Not that i’m complaining! The drinks came with the standard generous bowls of aperitivos which were salted nuts and chips. Not quite the olives I was hoping for but again, i’m not complaining!

IMG_0162We were also joined by a little sparrow guest who kept us entertained by hopping around on all the tables and fluttering through the surrounding greenery.

10 Corso Como is a short walk from the Garibaldi metro stop and also quite close to Eataly which is why we didn’t eat more when we visited. If you want to get out of the very busy center of Milan, this is a lovely, quiet district to wander through. You can also indulge in a little people-watching as you relax.

10 Corso Como

Address: 10 Corso Como, Milan
Nearest Metro: Garibaldi
Opening Hours: Friday – Tuesday 10:30am -7:30pm, Wednesday and Thursday 10:30am – 9pm

What Katie Did in Milan: Summer Nights at Teatro Alla Scala

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You might be surprised to hear that eating wasn’t the only thing that we did in Milan. As we were treating the trip as a sort of ‘European Honeymoon’ we tried to do things that we probably would only do once in our lives. Doing something luxurious in this stylish city was a given and we settled on a night of opera at the iconic Teatro Alla Scala. The season had only just begun and it seemed perfect that the production that was on while we were there was Puccini’s Tosca.

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We purchased ridiculously expensive tickets from the theatre’s website and ended up in an opulent box with an incredible view of the stage. The theatre is steeped in history and I felt as though we had wandered into a 19th century Russian novel where the rich and glamorous would conduct elicit affairs in private boxes when the lights were dim.

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Can’t you just imagine what would go on in these boxes?

I felt a little bit sorry for some of these patrons because the angle of the boxes on the side of the theatre means that they would have had a pretty obscured view of the stage.

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Each box had three rows of paired seats, each slightly higher than those in front. We were very lucky that the third couple in our box didn’t turn up so we were able to lean against the back wall for some support. The gorgeously decorated padded red velvet walls I should say….

The machine in our box that supplied English subtitles was broken and my limited proficiency in Italian meant that I was limited to understanding the occasional

Allhora!

or

Andiamo!

or the far less polite

STRONZO!

Still, with a basic understanding of the plot, the swelling of the music was enough to tell us what was going on in this romantic opera. We were both captivated and so glad that of all the things to do in Milan, this had been the thing we had splurged on. The prohibitive cost means that we will probably never go again but, if you can wrangle some tickets, this experience is absolutely incredible.

If you are looking to buy tickets, these are the best pieces of advice I can give you:

1. Spend some time getting familiar with the website – it can be tricky to navigate and tickets for desirable shows will sell out quickly so you want to be ready to go when your desired show becomes available

2. If you can afford it, try for a box as close to the royal box as possible and try to steer clear of the ones on the side of the theatre as you will have a partially (or mostly) obstructed view of the stage

3. Again, if you can afford it, buy tickets for the front or middle of your box. I’m not sure that the people behind us (had they turned up) would have seen much at all

4. Read up on the show that you are seeing so that you don’t get too lost

5. Enjoy the people watching! There were some amazing, glamorous outfits and some crazy, quirky ones but the people watching was almost as much fun as the show itself! Feel free to glam yourself up too. I brought a special little black dress just for wearing to the opera and I felt a little bit ‘Holly Golightly’ attending a fancy party!

 

What Katie Ate in Milan: Giannasi Chicken Lunch and Fish Tea

I’ve never been one for learning languages. Its like maths, I can learn the rules but I find it ridiculously difficult to apply them in contexts that don’t require me to list the conjugations of a specific verb. But, as we were visiting family in Italy, I thought I should make a concerted effort to at least be able to say some basic things to them in their own language. I began using the DuoLingo app on my phone which actually got me quite far because each level is broken down into tiny lessons that I could do on the short train trip to work or while waiting for dinner to finish cooking. It was also great to be able to practice speaking the language through the app as well. All this meant that I came to Italy is a decent understanding of some (quite basic) Italian. The longer we were in Italy, the more confident I got with trying to speak some of the language while we were out and about. Mostly, my translations of the menu and attempts to order food (my primary goal) were met with kind smiles and reassuring nods. Until the day we went out for a roast chicken lunch.

IMG_0141We decided to venture slightly further out of the city centre and try some of the food that is served in the suburbs when people go home for lunch. My research led us to Giannasi, an old school kiosk serving rotisserie chicken from a recipe that they had used since the shop opened in 1967.

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Really, looking at that succulent, golden chicken, why would you change the recipe? After all, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it!

IMG_0142There was a huge crowd of locals waiting to buy their lunch but it was quite orderly and, when we had reached the front, I felt confident enough to try ordering our meal in Italian. It went a little like this:

Me: “scusi, due polli e mezzo”

Him: “taglio?”

Me: “si, si! E due te pesci”

Him: *quizzical look* “pesci?”

Me: “Oh! No! PescA!”

In my enthusiasm, I ordered two half chickens cut into quarters and two FISH teas. Not quite the PEACH teas I was going for! The server was kind and laughed off my mistake and I left triumphantly with my chickens and teas but a little red faced too.

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As most people seem to return to their apartments to eat, there is no seating at the kiosk. You can sit down in the small park nearby but there is little shade from the hot Summer sun so be prepared to tan it up a little while you eat. Really, you will probably be so involved in sucking every last shred of gorgeously marinated chicken off the bone that you won’t notice anything else! Apparently these chickens are “aromatized” for 24 hours before they are broiled again before serving.

IMG_0145But, if you’re not a huge fan of chicken, there is still plenty of choice for you. Giannasi are also renowned for their arancini and risotto, as well as their vast array of marinated and chargrilled vegetables. We wanted to try some of the grilled eggplant but were so full of tasty chicken that we just couldn’t fit it in! The prices are very reasonable too. I can’t quite remember how much but I think our lunch was something like 6 euros all up?

And how was the fish tea? I hear you asking cheekily!

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I feel like I need to begin an immediate petition to bring San Benedetto Peach Tea to Australia
This stuff is delicious. And cool to look at too!

So, my lovelies, have you had any embarrassing ‘lost in translation’ type moments in your life? Please spill the beans!

Giannasi 1967
Address: Piazza Bruno Buozzi, 20135 Milan, Italy
Subway Stop: Porta Romana
Open: 7 days, 7am-8pm (Sundays 8am-2pm)

Lunch At Your Desk: The Bitsa Lunch

Now Lunch At Your Desk is clearly not part of my series of travel posts but I thought we needed some more lunchspo to keep us on track! We will resume normal programming in the next post.

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Im going to go out on a limb here and say that I think my number one problem that often prevents me from bringing my own healthier lunch to work is Time.

Or lack thereof.

Is this true for you too?

Well, if it is the case and you don’t fancy the weird deliciousness of the last minute apple and peanut butter sandwich that I shared with you last time (and I can only partly blame you for that because it does sound weird – but delicious! I promise!) then perhaps this little lunch might be your saviour.

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I introduce, The Bitsa Lunch. Im not sure if the term ‘bitsa’ is used widely elsewhere but in Australia it’s often used to describe a dog that has no discernable breed. Its a ‘bitsa’ you know, bits of this and bits of that…

And that is that way that I would describe this simple and tasty lunch. Its a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a whole lot of stuff-I-found-at-the-back-of-my-fridge. It comes in many different variations, but the beauty of this lunch is that with a few pantry staples, you can pick and mix everything you have in your kitchen to make a filling and nutritious lunch.

First we begin with a base, something bready and filling like:

  • bread (thick slices of sourdough are the best if you still have some left over)
  • wholegrain crackers
  • pumpernickle bread
  • flatbread

Then we add some veggies like:

  • raw carrot sticks (much maligned as being only a vehicle for dip – I could eat whole carrots every day just by themselves)
  • leftover veggies from dinner last night e.g. steamed asparagus, green beans, broccoli
  • marinated olives (my fridge is never without a tub of marinated olives. Im in an Italian house now. I would die.)
  • cherry tomatos

Then we have some extra tasty things like:

  • chunks of cheddar cheese (strong and bitey is how I like mine! It counterpoints the soft or sweet veggies and bread + cheese = food from the gods)
  • Spreadable cheeses like the ubiquitous laughing cow cheese
  • Dip – homemade or otherwise
  • Pickles
  • Tuna

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I always keep a plate in my desk drawer at work as well as a knife, fork and spoon in the mug that I use to store my pens and pencils. That way I can bring a bunch of small tupperware containers or snaplocks with each part of my lunch and then just lay them out on the plate for some leisurely eating. It is hands down the quickest fresh lunch that you can prepare and will make you the envy of all your coworkers with their greasy takeaway. It also has the added bonus of making you calm down, slow down and enjoy your food. What better way to begin the second half of the day?

So peeps, what pantry staples would you include in your bitsa lunch? Leave a comment for me below!