Summer – Page 2 – A True Love of Mine

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

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.

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.

Cue 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!

We 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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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: Eataly, Light of My Life

As I sort though all my travel memories to decide which ones to share with you, they’re basically all related to food. I defy anyone to go to Italy and pass any moment of the day with an empty stomach. It just wont happen. Mostly because of places like Eataly.

Eataly is everything you want in Italian food under one roof. The three level building combines a bookstore and cookware shop with myriad dining counters, a deli, bakery, fishmonger, grocer, olive oil dispensary and many, many more culinary delights! We were too late for lunch here but stopped by to pick up a few things for a casual dinner before going to the opera that night. Actually, considering the time we spent wandering through the store, its quite amazing that we made it to the opera at all. Let me walk you through some of the highlights…

First you can buy all the flour to make your pasta, breads and Italian sweets

Then you fall into a trance while staring at the mesmerising display of chocolate and caramel sauces

Until you hear the siren call of the chocolate hazelnut spreads (think super fancy Nutella)

Then you might try to break yourself out of your sugar coma by visiting the bread counter
(they also sell offcuts of loafs used at the sandwich bar earlier in the day if you don’t want a whole loaf)

Only to be sucked back in by the hypnotic sway of the hanging legs of prosciutto
Swoon!

A little bit of cheese makes a more balanced meal

Oops… did I say ‘a little’? How about a whole fridge full?
Berlin, eat your heart out.

And by now you’ve decided that you can’t be bothered to make your own pasta
So you buy some fresh pasta from this counter

Don’t think you’re getting out without a bottle of freshly decanted olive oil
or vinegar.

Seriously, Italy, well played.

Walking through Eataly was like disappearing down the rabbit hole. The delicious and mesmerising rabbit hole. We must have spent hours there annoying the poor workers who were trying to restock from the lunch crowd to prepare for the deluge of diners that would inevitably descend in the evening. It took all my strength not to fill my suitcase with jars of olives, chocolate spread, oil and try to sneak in a few cheeses. Surely customs couldn’t begrudge a girl a leg of authentic Italian prosciutto bigger than her head? Surely!

But instead we satisfied ourselves with a hotel-room picnic dinner of bread, crackers, cured meats, cheeses and tapenade.

stop drooling

And I bought the world’s tiniest bag of pasta.
No, its a magnet. But it is actually filled with real pasta.

Dear Eataly, I love you and i’m coming back. I promise.

Eataly
Address: Piazza XXV Aprile, 10, 20121 Milan, Italy
Nearest Metro: Garibaldi
Opening Hours: 10am-midnight

What Katie Did in Milan: The Duomo and Cappucinos

I freaking hate coffee. Actually, it’s probably not that serious, more just that i’ve never had a coffee that i’ve enjoyed drinking. Until now.

Yes, this is me enjoying a cappucino with my breakfast in the garden of the San Francisco Hotel in Milan.

There was nothing super special about this coffee but I enjoyed sipping on it in the cool morning air, fortifying me for the day of sightseeing ahead. My husband’s family is Italian and he took the opportunity to show me the true Italian way that some things are done. Like only drinking the milky, frothy cappucinos with breakfast. As a milk-and-cereal girl (something the Italians don’t really go in for) this was the best way to get my hit of milk for the day with a little bit of a kick to get me going. Don’t get too excited though, now that i’m not in holiday mode, i’m still thoroughly unimpressed with coffee in general. It must have just been the magic of Milan!