Flowers lovers! Orto Botanico di Brera is an hidden treasure right in the center of Brera and near by Pinacoteca. The garden is a university and museum, there they organize events and activities for the public and schools. It has an amazing collection of flowers and medicinal plants, plus little corners where you can stop by and enjoy the silence for a bit.

A small family restaurant with very tasty Italian cuisine (be sure to make reservations for the evening)

The Brera Gallery was officially established in 1809, even though a first heterogeneous collection with educational purpose existed already from 1776 – and then increased in the following years – alongside the Accademia di Belle Arti, requested by Mary Therese of Austria to offer the students the opportunity to study lofty masterpieces of art close up. Brera become a museum to host the most important works of art from all of the areas conquered by the French armies. So unlike other important museums in Italy such as the Uffizi, Brera did not start out life as the private collection of a prince or nobleman but as the product of a deliberate policy decision. Paintings confiscated from churches and convents throughout Lombardy with the religious orders’ dissolution began to pour into the museum in the early years of the 19th century, soon to be joined by artworks of similar provenance from other areas of the Kingdom of Italy. This explains why the collection comprises chiefly religious works, many of them large altarpieces, and accounts for Brera’s special aura on which later acquisitions have had only a minor impact.

Even the most unconventional tourist would never leave Milan without visiting Piazza del Duomo. Well, since you’re there you must have a traditional “aperitivo” (to get before lunch or before dinner) at the Bar Zucca where Verdi and Toscanini used to go, back from the Scala Theatre. We never sit at the nice small tables located apart, we like to enjoy our Rabarbaro Zucca standing in the crowd of the bar - just try it.

It's a very laid back bar located in Chinatown, that serves also food. I have designed this bar with Roberto Marone, who is one of the owners and we took inspiration from our various travels. It's a very cozy, almost homely place and a perfect spot to hang out.