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Nightlife As one would expect in young cosmopolitan Milan, the nightlife is vibrant. The evening begins with the passegiata, a cultural institution itself in Italy, where everyone, attired in the smartest clothes possible, ‘walks out’ – strolling up and down central streets in order ‘to see and be seen’. Centres of the passegiate vary in Milan but the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II and the pedestrian zones of the city along the Via Dante are good areas to go and watch. Unlike the rest of Italy, Milan has not only good Italian fare, pizzerie and its own regional cuisine (try the saffron flavoured risotta alla milanese at the excellent Biffi Scala in Piazza della Scala) but also a wide variety of international choice. Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Tex Mex, Spanish and Thai are all to be found in a city eager to emulate London and New York’s diversity. A typically modern European feature of the city is the profusion of restaurant-bars, which try to catch clients for the whole evening and where it is possible to dine leisurely or just sit over a bottle of wine. The trend is to move on during the night, visiting two or three locales, thereby demonstrating social savvy and bella figura (being ‘with it’ is perhaps the best expression of this notoriously vacuous Italian phrase). The Navigli district around the canals in the southwest of the city is one of the best areas for bars and cafés, extending up to Porta Ticinese. North of the Cathedral, the area around the Brera offers many pleasant boutique cafés, restaurants and clubs. Most bars and restaurants stay open until late (0100), after which the energetic move on to the nightclubs (discoteca), which stay open till 0400 (most shut Mondays). The legal drinking age is 16 years. Expect to pay €6 for a bottle of wine in a bar and at least €7.50 for entry to clubs. Entertainment listings are available online (websites: www.hellomilano.it and www.corriere.it). The newspapers, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica (on Thursday) also supply listings, as does the tourist offices, Spettacoli Milano and Mese Milano. Bars: The Grand Café Fashion, Porta Ticinese, on the corner of Via Vetere, is a must-try Milan experience. The bar on the first floor attracts the city’s ‘beautiful people’. The Magellano-Music Bar, Ripa di Porta Ticinese 23, is a good starting place for exploring the bars of the Navigli district. Café L’Atlantique, Viale Umbria 42, is a good place to snack on pizza while sipping a cocktail under the fronds of the palms that decorate the bar. For a quick glass or two of some of Italy’s best wines, try Il Divino, Via Filippino Lippi 2. Sip a campari and soda at the Rabarbaro Zucca at Caffe Zucca, in Galleria, Piazza del Duomo – formerly Il Camparino, this is the bar where the famous aperitif was invented. The latest fashionable bar is the century-old Pasticceria Ricci, Piazza della Repubblica 27. Thoroughly unaware of the Schrager-style Long Bar trend, it has pastries by day, gay disco by night and is frequented by Boy George. Casinos: There are no licensed casinos in Milan. Clubs: The former industrial zone near Via Savona in Porto Genova is the newest fashionable area of Milan. The Bugatti Bar, Via Gaspare 7, is owned by Fabrizio Ferri – Palestra Industria, at the same address is his wife’s private gym turned into a club. The large exhibition area at the Superstudio Piů complex, Via Tortona 27, was where Cavalli and Pucci showed their 2002 Spring/Summer collections; many one-off dance and club events are held here. Gimmi’s, Via Cellini 2, has long been established in the city and plays mainstream pop. Hollywood, Corso Como 15, is fairly similar but with a more glamorous crowd and Sundays especially attract models and celebrities. Pow Wow, Viale Ortles 62, in the Bocconi zone, is unique in that entry is free; you can eat Mexican or Italian there before dancing to funk and hip hop on the two dance floors. Nearer Porta Romana, Rolling Stone, Corso XXII Marzo 32, claims to be the temple of rock in Milan, often hosting live bands. Alternatively, for fans of Italian house, New Parco delle Rose, Via Fabio Massimo 36, is a sure bet on Saturdays, with both open-air and enclosed spaces for all types of music. Still popular with the fashion crowd, the Shocking Club, Bastioni di Porta Nuova 12, attempts to live up to its name, especially on Wednesdays with its outrageous theme nights. Large clubs (up to 2000) include Propaganda, Via Castelbarco 11, and Alcatraz, Via Valtellina 25, a refurbished industrial building with two dancefloors, two performance spaces, three bars and a pub. Live music: Scimmie, Via Ascanio Sforza 49 (website: www.scimmie.it), has managed to maintain its reputation as the spot for jazz in the heart of the Navigli district, although there are more blues and ethnic gigs these days. In the same area, Blues House, Via S Uguzzone 96 (website: www.blueshouse-milano.com), is equally popular with Italians and foreigners, and Capolinea, Via Ludovico il Moro 119, is another good spot for jazz. For rock and blues fans, Tangram, Via Pezzotti 52, is a good bet, whereas for more indie music try Tunnel, Via Sammartini 30. All the major bands and solo artists include Milan on their Italian tours, usually playing at Palavobis (formerly Palatrussardi) close to Lampugnano (website: www.milanoconcerti.it). |
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