© Milan Grand Hotel, Milan
© Milan Grand Hotel, Milan
© Milan Grand Hotel, Milan
© Milan Grand Hotel, Milan
© Milan Grand Hotel, Milan
5-star luxury hotel in the centre of Milan
This is Milan's oldest hotel, opened in 1863, and then named the ”Albergo di Milano”. Its has been a sort of 'annex' to La Scala for many years - with some rooms even having adjoining doors to the theatre.
During the most recent important renovation work, carried out between 1990 and 1993, part of the city's great defence wall built in 250 AD by Emperor Maximian was discovered. Today, the carefully restored remains of this wall can be seen on the way down from the Don Carlos restaurant to its wine cellar. The ruins are placed at the centre of the room and are surrounded by very prestigious Italian and international wines.
Inside, the hotel is subtly refined with a captivating atmosphere, the rooms elegantly furnished with period furniture and objects of art relating to its history, parquet flooring and spacious bathrooms in Italian marble. The loving and accurate attention devoted to its decoration over the centuries helps to place it in the top rank of the enchanting modern hotels. Both modern contemporary and antique filled old rooms are on offer to guests.
Gerry's Bar is a discreet, private and refined lounge in the heart of Milan. Perfect for a cup of tea, an aperitif, a lunch or a dinner, it becomes an after-theatre place open until late at night.
The hotel has 2 restaurants. The Don Carlos pays homage to master Giuseppe Verdi, who stayed at this hotel for more than twenty years. In an intimate and refined setting, re-created by paintings, sketches and scene-paintings from the la Scala Theatre musuem, the Don Carlos serves Italian traditional cuisine under the light of its antique silver chandeliers. The chef, in charge of the executive management, interprets with originality and refinement simple menus taken from the flavours and fragrances of the Mediterranean tradition.
The Caruso bar, with its pleasant “jardin d'hiver”, offers a cuisine that reinterprets traditional Milanese dishes in a contemporary key. Inside the delightful veranda set in the green environment of the small square, period furniture “cohabit” with contemporary elements creating a timeless atmosphere that recalls the one of the Parisian bistros. At the beginning of 2011, the inside hall of the restaurant was renovated, leaving anyway untouched the internal structure organized on two levels, the big columns with decorated capitals and the two precious Murano chandeliers dating back to the 1920s
Golf Des Iles Borromées is an 18 hole course built in a natural and uncontaminated environment situated 500 metres above sea level. It has a southerly exposure, fresh in summer and sunny in winter, and from the 18th tee, you can often see the skyline of Milan and four lakes: Maggiore, Varese, Montae and Comabbio.
Big-hitters will enjoy the generous width fairways but be aware of the lake-size water hazards.
Amidst the beautiful surroundings of the Piedmontese coast of Lake Maggiore, this adventure park offers fun for all with high suspension bridge courses, cycle-cross, a free-climbing wall and an acro-jump. A great day out.
This round trip by boat and train, taking in the main sights and towns is a fantastic way of seeing the area around Lake Maggiore.
This site has three major events: Caevaworld Movieland Hollywood Park, a theme park based around film sets, The Aqua Park, which is a water park full of slides, wave simulators and a Peter Pan style pirate's lagoon, and Night & Fun - the evening's entertainment which consists of Medieval show dinners, a rock star restaurant all you can eat and a night festival disco.
The great little trains of Orta tour around this part of the lovely lake, taking in the main square of Orta San Giulio, the holy mountain of Sacramonte and its chapels, and the painted village of Legro. It's a great way of seeing this outcrop of land and is a big hit with children.
This elegant and sophisticated restaurant is located in a luxury hotel right in the heart of Milan and has been awarded a Michelin star. They serve traditional Italian dishes with innovative touches using local fresh ingredients.
Il Baretto has been running for over fifty years, delighting the great and the good of the city for half a century. The sophisticated, old English club house decor is host to a refined menu taking cues from Milanese and international cuisine.
Part of the Armani Hotel Milan, this Michelin-starred restaurant takes a modern approach to classic Italian wining and dining. The stylish decor has been designed to the smallest detail by Giorgio Armani himself.
The elegant style and furnishings, the neoclassical pieces of art decorating the walls and the hand-painted high ceiling is a dramatic yet fitting setting for the fantastic food of the Palazzo Parigi restaurant. And when the weather is fine, the relaxed atmosphere of the private garden terrace provides an alternative atmosphere for visiting diners.
The 2-Michelin-starred Seta restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental Milan hotel is a new kid on the block for the Milanese restaurant scene. An open-plan kitchen gives guests a peak of how the stunning dishes are prepared and a more complete experience to their choices.
Michelin-starred experience that draws on the experimentation of the Venissa culinary approach. The enchanting decor completes the tone for dining in a very unique setting.
Located in the historic centre of Milan, in front of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, this is one of Milan’s hottest and trendiest bars in the city at any time of the day.
Meaning "heart", this vibrant, friendly, atmospheric spot is worth seeking out down a side street for its changing interior, DJ sets and mixed clientele.
Founded in 2005, this glamorous nightclub offers event 5 nights of the week characterised by elegance and fun.
This upmarket bar offers cocktails and a light lunch menu to a typically well-dressed crowd, fatigued after shopping the Galleria. The bar is part of the arty-industrial Straf 'design' hotel.
This Indian bar offers a great selection of cocktails, many based on Indian spirits, serves a good aperitivo buffet and has African-themed evenings, as well as DJ sets late into the evening.
Overlooking the cathedral, this first-floor terrace is a great place for a relaxed aperitivo enjoying one of Milan's most typical drinks, an Aperol spritz.
This museum is one of the most significant house-museums in Europe and shows the taste of one of the finest collectors in the 19th century, the nobleman Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli.
A private foundation, set up by the Bagatti Valsecchi heirs, to open the family's late 19th-century residence and collections of artworks to the public.
Alessandro Mazoni, the famous literate and author of "I Promessi Sposi" or "The Betrothed", lived in this house from 1814 until 1873. It has been restored to show how it must have been when Manzoni died in 1873.
This gallery showcases the work of 19th and 20th-century local artists from the Lombardy region and the area around Venice.
Palazzo Marino has been the home of Milan's town council since 1861. Located in La Scala square, the palace was designed by architect Galeazzo Alessi, from Perugia, in 1558.
This gallery is the oldest in Milan, originally founded in 1957, and initially focussed on post-war avant-garde.
Located just within 15 kilometres north of Milan, this big but picturesque town, the third largest in the Lombardy region, has been transformed from a mainly industrial trade centre to a popular spot for good cuisine, pretty squares and of course the F1 Gran Prix.
The city of Bergamo is perched atop a hill just within a 30-40 minute train or car ride from Milan. The fourth largest city in Lombardy, it is located at the foot of the Alps.
The lovely town of Angera dates back to Roman times when it was an important stopping point for boats transferring their wares to the road, and vice-versa. Sitting high above the town is the Rocca Borromeo, a fortress dating back to the 11th century.
High up above the lakes is the village of Arcumeggia in the mountains. It is famous because in 1956 the local tourist office decided to ask important Italian painters to fresco the walls of the town's stone cottages.
