Although 'only' the second largest city in Italy, for connoisseurs of fashion, design and anyone for whom dolce vita (sweet life) is their personal mantra, Milan is the 'eternal city'. The fashion-obsessed city, under which the most famous names are signed, is seen elsewhere in Italy as a hectic anthill of businessmen who drink their morning coffee standing up and starving models who are the only ones who can wear the sinfully expensive creations of Italian fashion stars. Therefore, let's get to know Milan in a more relaxed way, while shopping, after which we will have enough money left over for the sweetest pleasure in the city - an aperitif.
Tradition
In Milan, the aperitif is a special ritual and, in fact, a way of life. The word means "to open" in Latin, and it describes an alcoholic drink before a meal that "opens" the appetite. In a city driven by money and business, the rhythm stops around seven o'clock in the evening, when the city's bars and cafes fill up with playful locals and visitors who happily confirm that la vita é bella (life is Beautiful). The most traditional Italian aperitif originates from nearby Novara, where in 1860 the young Gaspare Campari first introduced the Rosa Campari liqueur, a concoction of various herbs, fruit, alcohol and water. A few years later, he moved to Milan, where he opened Caffé Campari in the prestigious Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade to introduce the drink, made according to a formula that remains a closely guarded secret, to the general public. His son Davide Campari renamed it the Camparino bar, and the rest is legend. Verdi, Toscanini, artists and revolutionaries took turns at the tables and around the bar during its more than a century of existence, which is protected as a cultural monument together with the mosaic walls. After a break of several years, Camparino has returned to its original location, where elegant waiters with white gloves will serve us drinks. To start getting to know the culture of drinking an aperitif, let's treat ourselves americano cocktail, the first cocktail that Gaspare made with Campari and first named it Milano-Torino to emphasize the place of origin of the most important ingredients: Campari from Milan and Cinzana from Turin.
www.campari.com
Ingenuity
Visitors will not only enjoy fashion and drink, as Milan is above all a city that boasts one of the most magnificent the cathedral in the world, s Leonardo da Vinci's fresco The Last Supper, around which the most incredible theories are woven, former centers of power of the Visconti family, the castle Castello Sforzesco, which today houses many museums. Perhaps it was the glorious past that influenced the development of Milan into the world center of creativity and art. The most flashy and notorious fashion area is the Quadrilatero della moda, a quadrangle bordered by Via Montenapoleone, Via Manzoni, Via della Spiga and Corso Venezia. That the city deserves the status of the fashion capital even outside the aforementioned quadrangle, we will get to know it when we visit the street Corso Como. The street is full of designer shops - from the fresh and innovative to the legendary and influential, and the creators have made their homes on the floors above the shops. Among the artistic and creative elite, having an address on Corso Como is a status symbol. The street became famous in 1990, when an art gallery opened at number 10, in a former industrial plant, alongside a bookstore, a fashion boutique and a cozy café in the courtyard, all complemented by a three-room hotel and a restaurant. In the cafe, we order a drink that has driven the whole world crazy in recent years, Aperol Spritz. Aperol, which is similar in color and taste to Campari but has only 11 percent alcohol, originates from Padua, but until a few years ago, when it began to be mixed with sparkling wine, only a few people knew about it.
www.duomomilano.it, www.milanocastello.it
Freedom of thought
The fashion capital is not only limited to sinfully expensive boutiques, it also has areas that attract fans of alternative fashion and everyone who is on the hunt for good bargains. The area that is loved by everyone who does not like "mainstream" fashion is called Navigli. Although the canal system is huge, for Milanese the Navigli area is just the area around the Darsena del Naviglio, the Naviglio Pavese Canal and the Naviglio Grande Canal, where you can find a bunch of antique shops, bookshops, colorful ice cream kiosks, vinyl record shops and thrift stores. One of the Expo projects is also the revival and renovation of the former of the city port of La Darsena, which will cost the city 19 million euros, but will leave an indelible mark and raise the quality of life with new footpaths, embankments and a complete renovation of Piazza XXIV Maggio. This is where young people "warm up" before night adventures, and more and more good restaurants are opening. On Saturday mornings viale Gabriele d'Annunzio, north of the Darsena del Naviglio, hosts the Fiera di Senigalia fair, where you can browse second-hand clothes, antiques and objects from India, South America and Africa. On the last Sunday of every month, visitors engage in lively shopping at the Mercatore del Naviglio Grande market along the Naviglio Grande canal, where you can find surprising antiques, furniture, old books and jewelry.
www.spritz-navigli.it (during the Expo, the bar will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.)
Modernity
The Brera area is also known as the Montmartre of Milan due to its small and winding streets, and just like the Parisian original, the Brera turns into an attractive area at night, full of bars, clubs and restaurants. Because of the nightlife, drinking aperitivo in Breri drags on until late at night, especially during Design week, which this year will take place from April 14 to 19, as Brera is one of the venues. While exploring the Brera nightlife, we must try a cocktail "Negro". It originates from Florence, where a guest in a bar asked the waiter to add a little gin to the classic Americano. A popular cocktail was created, and since the artistic spirit in Brera is a bit reminiscent of Florence, the "negroni" is the right choice.
www.fuorisalone.it
Expo 2015 - the world comes to Milan
From the beginning of May to the end of October, Milan will be the center of the world, as it will be the site of the World Expo - the largest thematic exhibition in the world, which takes place every five years in one of the cities around the world. It began in 1851 in London, and exhibitions were the reason for creations such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Atomium in Brussels. The main purpose of the world exhibition is to discuss a certain topic that is current on a global scale at the time it is held. The central topic EXPO Milan 2015 is food, and the slogan is: "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" or "Food for the planet, energy for life". The organizers expect that the world exhibition will be in time from May 1 to October 31, 2015 visited by 20 million visitors, and 147 countries will be represented, of which 55 will have an independent pavilion, including Slovenia. It is the national pavilions that are the central theme of admiration, and this year's Expo is particularly important for Slovenia, as our country will present itself in its own pavilion for the second time in history. The reason for such a decision is the proximity of Milan and, of course, the fact that Italy is one of our most important trade partners, and Italians are the most numerous visitors to our country. Slovenian pavilion it has a pyramidal shape, placed on a geometrically uneven surface, which reflects the uneven relief of the Slovenian territory - the transition of Alpine hills, Pannonian plains and Mediterranean hills into cultivated areas, under which lies an extraordinary underground labyrinth of karst caves and stalactites. The pavilion is made of natural materials - wood and glass. The pavilion is being built by the Slovenian company Lumar IG doo according to the architectural design of the architectural office SoNo arhitekti doo Slovenia will present itself at the world exhibition with the slogan "I feel Slovenia. Green. Active. Hello." The contents that will be presented in the Slovenian pavilion in connection with the main theme of the world exhibition - food, are: salt, bees, thermal and mineral waters, a healthy and active lifestyle and green technologies. All countries participating in Expo Milano 2015 will organize a national day once during the world exhibition within their pavilion or exhibition area. The Slovenian National Day will be on June 19, and in six months all Slovenian regions will be presented in the pavilion, which is an additional reason to visit this city this year, indulge in its rhythm, and at the same time get to know the wealth and beauty of our country better.
www.expo2015.org/it, www.exposlovenia.si
