Milan Black Book

I’ve been coming to Milan for decades, starting when Matt was photographing Salone del Mobile, Milan’s annual furniture and design fair, for  Wallpaper* and  Grazia Casa, and shooting incredible interior projects like the Fornasetti house on Lake Como. At the time, I had a toddler and spent most of my days in the parks with her, navigating the rough cobblestone streets with a travel stroller. I loved Milan then (the parks are incredible, with little trains, bumper cars and carousels—so much more child-friendly than Rome or Florence!), and I love it now. Over the years because of work, I’ve been lucky to come here frequently—and just last week, I returned for Salone. It was such a treat to see the city during this period; it felt like one big open house. Every store or designer seemed to be having an event—our friend Jenny Walton, who moved to Milan a couple of years ago, said that even her bank was having an aperitivo hour for Salone! We’ve been talking about doing this Milan Black Book for ages, and after running into so many dear friends there, we decided to pull this together—in the hopes, too, that you might consider adding Milan to the beginning or end of a trip, rather than traveling in and out of Rome. (Flying Emirates to or from NY is great and easy to upgrade on with Amex miles.) As always, we mined our in-the-know friends and residents for their favorites, and are so grateful to them for sharing. —Y.E.

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

Alessandra Ricci  is an art historian who loves beauty and antiques markets. She has lived in Milan since ’92, but often returns to her beloved Puglia and her beautiful  Trullo La Cipressa  (which incidentally is available to rent). 

Carla Sersale  was born in Milan and is married to Antonio Sersale, owner of  Le Sirenuse  hotel in Positano. For the past 30 years, she has lived between Positano, Milan and Rome. In 2013, after taking over the boutique that her father-in-law, Franco, opened at the hotel, she started a fashion line with her niece, called  Emporio Sirenuse, which is sold globally. 

Christopher “Kit” Garis  is a writer who lives between Milan and Morocco, whose stories on travel and design have appeared in  T Magazine, The World of Interiors, Cabana  and others.

Cristina Hudson  is the co-owner of Hudson Ranch and Vineyards in Napa Valley. She’s been visiting Milan since the ‘80s, when her sister Marta was the creative director at Swatch Watch, and then through her work in the worlds of design and food. 

David Prior – I actually met David in person for the first time in Milan, many years ago, for a drink at Savini, where he loaded me up with a great Milan list including a restaurant that is still a favorite. Today, he is the founder and CEO of  PRIOR, a NY-and Milan-based travel agency that creates experiences up and down Italy (and beyond!). Their series of Italy itineraries launches on June 6, including Milan trips focused on the culture of bars (breakfast and night), and architecture & design greats.  

Jenny Walton – Our friend Jenny is a designer and illustrator who moved to Milan two years ago and never wants to leave. She chronicles her Milanese life along with her vintage finds on her Substack,  “Jenny Sais Quoi“.

J.J. Martin  moved to Milan more than 20 years ago, and before she launched her joyful fashion and homeware line,  La DoubleJ, she was an editor at  Wallpaper*,  which required her to get very familiar with the city’s design scene. She recently published her first book,  Mamma Milano, about life lessons learned in her adopted city. 

Jon Moslet  is the owner of the finest villa in Sicily,  Rocca delle Tre Contrade. He’s Norwegian by birth, but has lived in Milan for the last 28 years with his partner, Marco. 

Laura Urbinati  is a  fashion and homeware designer  who was raised in Rome, trained in and opened her first boutique in Los Angeles, and has lived in Milan for about 30 years. 

Mats Klingberg  has been visiting Milan regularly for close to 20 years, first when he was working at American Express looking after global luxury brands, and now for more than four years for his brand,  Trunk Clothiers. 

Matt Hranek  is the author of  A Man & His Car,  A Man & His Watch,  A Man & His Kitchen,  The Negroni: A Love Affair with a Classic Cocktail,  The Martini: Perfection in a Glass, and founder of WM Brown Magazine. 

Meredith Erickson  is the founder of  Doladira, an aperitif that was inspired by one of our favorite travelog-cookbooks,  Alpine Cooking. Originally from Montreal, she lives in Milan with her family. 

Molly Molloy  is the co-founder and co-creative director of  Colville  (and previously design director at Marni and LaDoubleJ), a fashion brand known for working with women’s social projects, from Dakar to Colombia to Morocco.  Originally from Oxfordshire, she has lived in Milan for 19 years.

Nick Vinson – Also known as Picky Nicky, Nick runs  Vinson&Co, a London-based bureau specializing in creative direction and interiors for the luxury goods industry. He has contributed to  Wallpaper*  for more than two decades and, as an expert in and fan of Italian design, he divides his time between London and Florence. He lived in Milan for seven years, and has visited twice a month on average ever since.  

Noona Smith-Petersen  is a veteran PR officer and comms manager, whose clients have included the likes of Armani, Valentino and Calvin Klein. She now runs her own  PR and communications strategy firm  in Milan.

Oddur Thorisson  is a photographer and semi-professional restaurant pundit who lives in Turin, but frequents dining rooms all over Italy. He is currently working with his wife, Mimi, on her fourth cookbook and her second focusing on Italian cuisine (the first being  Old World Italian). He is also writing a novel, largely set around the table.

Paula Barrera  was born in Madrid, grew up in the Dominican Republic, lived in NY, London and Shanghai, but for the last 3 years has called Milan home, where she’s the global communications director for  Pomellato.

Rula Al Amad  is YOLO’s director of partnerships and the founder of  Mag-Net Media. She lives in Milan and just renovated  Masseria Donnagnora, a beautiful home in Puglia.

Sciascia Gambaccini  moved to Milan after high school on a gap year and ended up staying there. She started her career at Condé Nast before moving to NY, where she worked at  Interview,  Harper’s Bazaar  and  Marie Claire. Once done with magazines, she began returning to Milan more often and noticed the new vibe mixed in with the old Milan she had left behind. 

Thierry Morali  is a peripatetic French architect with a body of work spanning Fiji to NY, Moscow to Kitzbühel. Based in Vienna out of a passion for the Wiener Werkstatte, he’s launching a furniture line later this year. He’s been traveling back and forth to Milan for 20 years.