Italy, so many songs has been sang about this marvelous country. The songs have been telling the stories of romances, great culture, memorable cuisine and of course dolce-far-niente kind of lifestyle (sweetness of doing nothing).

The ‘boot’ country has many amazing places to offer and Milan is one of them. Milan is an absolute behemoth of a city and has the most populated metropolitan area in Italy with 1.3 million people, and 3.2 million in the wider area surrounding central Milan. With so many people Milan has a lot to offer: a sublime mix of historical architecture, modern high-rise skyscrapers, all mingled together with a dash of Italian life. The city is particularly famous for its fashion and the beautiful Duomo Cathedral.

Visiting this Fashion Capital of the World, Coffee t&i spotted some places that we recommend to see and try next time you are in Milano.

Orsonero

Via Broggi 15

Metro: Centrale

Time: Mon closed

Tue – Fri 08:00 – 18:00

Sat 9:00 – 18:00

Sun 9:00 – 13:00

Key words: first specialty coffee shop

ORSONERO COFFEE is the first specialty coffee shop in Milan. Opened in November 2016, this place is already famous for its blends and friendly atmosphere, they serve coffee from different roaster from all around Europe, choosing new beans every 2 weeks, they also have single origin for pour over. Owners are a family couple, Brent and Giulia, who decided to open something unique in Milano. As Brent is from Canada, the name Orsonero means a bear, the couple wanted to have something Canadian in this place in the middle of Europe.

COFFICINA

Corso di Porta Ticinese, 58

Metro: S. Agostino

Time: Mon – Sun 7:00 – 19:00

Key words: self roasted beans

Cofficina is the second specialty coffee shop in Milan. And for now Milan has only 2 of them. Opened less than 6 months ago it has already a lot of customers to serve. The team uses around 3 kg coffee per day and can do any type of coffee you want. Also they have filter of the day, when they chose different coffees for you. Cofficina is a micro roastery so they also sell their beans right from the counter.  Moreover, the team wants to be green and offers to buy 1 cup of coffee for 3 euro, which you can refill the whole day using the same cup.

Caffè Pascucci

Corso Europa, 22

Metro: Duomo

Time: Mon – Fri 7:00 – 8:30

Sat – Sun 8:00 – 20:30

Key words: old brand

Pascucci caffe is one of the oldest cafe brands in Italy. Originally started in Rimini, this coffee shops now has expanded in Europe, Asia and Africa. The shop roasts their own coffee and even serves COE coffee with nice pastry and their own signature drinks.

Design in the shop is very comfortable even though it looks industrial. Everything in the shop is made this way so customers won’t get lost in the amount of coffee options: menu has pictures of all drinks that the shop offers. Very handy when you don’t know what you are in the mood for.

TAGLIO

Via Vigevano, 10

Metro: P.ta Genova FS

Time: Mon – Fri 11:00–15:30, 18:00–00:00

Sat – Sun 9:00 – 00:00

Key words: aeropress champion, big food variety

Opened 4 years ago, Taglio is a cafe owned by Raffaele Sangiovanni, who used to work for MTV italy. After working for such a famous company, he decided to open his own place where everyone is welcome. In Taglio they use single origin and coffee blends fro taf. Tagilo has already won AeroPress Championship in Italy and participated in competitions in Seoul in November last year. The shop also offers big variety of Italian food like cold cuts, cheeses etc.

OUT OF THE BOX

Via Malpighi 7

Metro: Porta Venezia

Time: Mon – Sun 10:00 – 20: 00

Key words: famous gelato, original flavors

Out of the Box, Via Malpighi 7, Milano is a very unique cafe in the heart of Milan. Original name is Think Out Of The Box as so many gelato outlets out there still stick to traditional flavors of gelato. Opened 2 years ago, this shop makes their own flavors that you cannot try anywhere else. Every day they prepare 2-3 kilos of each flavor right in the store’s gelato laboratory.

They also serve coffee: espresso and filter. Moreover they have different kinds of chai to make your gelato experience even nicer. For now this is the only branch of the brand with a catchy and modern design.

Places to see

Duomo & Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

Piazza del Duomo

Take in the view from the Duomo roof, shop in style at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele or just walk around Duomo, enjoying the evening sun. Because of its position in the heart of Milan, the Duomo is usually the first stop when visiting the city. One of the most elaborate Gothic cathedrals in Europe, this cathedral is the largest cathedral in Italy, and the fifth largest in the world. Don’t miss a walk on the roof, wandering among the spires and statues and taking in the breathtaking pictures. Right next to Duomo is the oldest mall across Italy, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, where you can shop in style in boutiques like Prada, Gucci, Luis Vuitton, Armani and Versace.

Bosco Verticale

20124 Milan

Opened in 2014, “vertical forest” comprises two 27-story residential high-rises teeming with cantilevered balconies and planted with almost 900 trees and more than 2,000 shrubs and bushes. The project was proposed by architect Stefano Boeri as part of his BioMilano: six ideas for a bio-diverse metropolis. Bosco Verticale’s extensive greenery provides apartment dwellers with shade in the summer and filtered sunlight in the winter, as well as cleaner air and reduced noise pollution. The buildings are also equipped with solar panels and a gray water recycling and irrigation system.

Fondazione Prada

2 Via Orobia

Just in a 10-minute walk from the metro station Lodi T.i.b.b., you will find Fondazione Prada, a modern building that houses a contemporary art and culture institution co-chaired by fashion icon Miuccia Prada. This place is a pure minimalism and walking through its halls will bring you pure pleasure. Miuccia Prada has been leading this project with her husband since 1995 and they dedicated this place to culture and art, organizing film festivals, exhibitions, design projects and more.

L.O.V.E.

Piazza degli Affari

This statue bears the title of L.O.V.E., even though it is hard to understand why at first: a marble statue depicting a hand with only its middle finger standing up. L.O.V.E. stands for Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità (Freedom, Hate, Vengeance, Eternity) and it was created in 2010 by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Located in Piazza Affari, the square in Milan where the Italian stock exchange has its headquarters, the statue surpassingly refers to the economic crisis that affected Europe, and Italy in particular, from 2008 onwards. Seems like with this statue Italian people said an unambiguous “fuck you” to the world of bankers and CEOs after the crisis of 2008.