CRUISING through Italy’s fashion capital Milan in a vintage Fiat 500 with the charming Federico, I really start to fall for the place.
Milan may not have the romance of other Italian cities, but during the 21/2-hour drive with my local guide, I learn it’s full of surprises.
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We stop at the incredibly ornate art nouveau buildings in the Quadrangle of Silence – including the secret garden of Palazzo Invernizzi, to spy its pink flamingos – before pulling up at the pretty multicoloured houses along Via Abramo Lincoln.
The city also has buzzing bars in Navigli, its canal district, where Gino12 is heaven for gin lovers (Officina12.it).
The Fiat 500 tour costs £172 for two people and is one of the trips offered by the recently opened Avani Palazzo Moscova Milan hotel, where rooms are minimalist and fashionably chic, with crisp white bedlinen, fancy coffee machines and big windows.
Designer days
Another excursion offered by the Palazzo is a 3-hour vintage shopping tour, £50 per person, with locals Elisa and Gilberto.
As we browse, I spot vintage Dior heels in my size for £95, which I dither over before deciding they are too impractical.
In preloved shops such as Bivio Milano (Biviomilano.it) and Vesto Milano (Vestomilano.com) you can pick up Hermès scarves for as little as £35, plus discover gems by Italian designers Gucci, Prada, Missoni and Valentino, as well as Tom Ford and YSL.
Nearby, cute antiques shop Bottega Rossa is full of curios and bric-a-brac. We finish up near the city’s magnificent Duomo cathedral, which took 600 years to complete and is awe-inspiring (Duomomilano.it).
By now, it’s aperitivo o’clock. Grabbing a seat at Forte restaurant’s bar, I sip on a negroni, £16, and discuss everything, from Milanese risotto to what makes a good carbonara, with the friendly bar staff (Forterestaurants.com/milano).
Talking of Italian food, local couple Valentina and Marco have opened up their uber-cool apartment in the Solari district as a supper club. The five-course seasonal menu is mainly vegetarian, and is matched with delicious organic Italian wines.
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We have burrata and kale, black lentils and an incredible cauliflower soup, before finishing with a moreish nutty cake.
It’s a great way to meet people, too – I chat to a fascinating Italian academic and a woman from France who’s learning Italian.
Dinner costs £65 per person (Homecookingmilan.it).
Buongiorno Venice
Milan is close to another famous city, Venice – so a long weekend visiting both is entirely possible and, frankly, a brilliant idea.
The next day, after a 21/2-hour train ride – single fares from £8.50 – I arrive in the floating city (Italotreno.it).
The view from the water taxi with the pink, red and orange of the sky reflected in the canals could be straight out of a Canaletto painting, and even though this is my third visit to Venice, it still takes my breath away.
It’s easy to catch a vaporetto (waterbus) from the Avani Rio Novo Venice hotel, which is just 20 minutes’ walk from St Mark’s Square and the beautiful Basilica, but is tucked away enough to give you the feeling of being in the real Venice.
The hotel pays homage to the film festival held here since 1932, with photos and books of movie stars scattered throughout, and the buffet breakfast – served on beautiful Ottolenghi plates – is superb.
The Masked Tourist
Keeping with the film theme, I visit Giudecca Island, a 30-minute boat ride away, for a mask-making class led by Augusto whose company, Masquerade Mask Design, has made masks for Fifty Shades Of Grey, Gossip Girl and Spider-Man.
I learn all about the masks’ Venetian heritage while having a go myself, choosing a black and gold paint combo with purple ribbon. I’m chuffed with the result.
A 2-hour class costs £52 per person (Masquerademaskdesign.com).
Elsewhere, on the pretty island of Murano, I meet glass bead experts Andrea and Cristina, who have helped craft earrings for Demi Moore, Naomi Campbell and Bella Hadid.
Their patience in teaching this intricate skill is admirable, and I come away with three beads of varying size and colour, which I intend to make into a necklace.
A 2-hour class costs £30 per person (Airbnb.co.uk/experiences/1052628).
Venice is also crazy for cicchetti – bar snacks of cheese, salami and bread.
My favourite spot soon becomes the cosy Adriatico Mar, set by a bridge with its own jetty, where a glass of excellent Italian white wine costs just £4.
I toast my twin-city adventure and vow to return to both. And next time, I’ll get those Dior shoes…
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FYI
The Bellini cocktail was created in Venice in 1948 at the legendary Harry’s Bar.
Double rooms at Avani Palazzo Moscova Milan cost from £140 per night, and at Avani Rio Novo Venice from £145 per night (Avanihotels.com).
Fly from the UK to Milan from £19; fly from Venice to the UK from £22.
