We were starting to love Milan, an expression that few share due to its focus on business, finance, and normally terrible weather. Before meeting our guide we made one quick stop at the Milan opera house – Teatro alla Scala.
The opera house has a museum attached that included costumes and design sketches. This was the first opera house that we have visited and it was lovely.
After more walking around in the amazing weather and clean streets, we met our guide for the only planned event of Milan, a craftsman tour.
I had found this tour online, but with almost no online presence, we were unsure of how it would play out. Turned out, we had nothing to fear. It has been the best tour we have done on the entire trip.
We met in the piazza by the Duomo and headed straight for a cafe. Italians love their coffee/espresso/cappuccino/macchiato. A locals’ only cafe right near all the tourists, but hidden away after a turn or two off the main square. We exchanged bits of info about one another, enjoyed the jolt of caffeine and headed not to the first craftsman spot, but to other highlights of the city.
Our guide (aware that we weren’t able to go on the regular walking tour) made sure we got to see as much of Milan as possible, all within the area we would be walking. We had checked a few off her list on our own, but one we had not was the bone chapel. It is as odd at sounds. Your mortality is ever apparent upon crossing its threshold.
We didn’t stay too long (thankfully) and moved on to our first craftsman stop, a confectioner’s shop. A family run business since its inception, it originated in Milan when the first owner came back from learning about making such delights in France. We enjoyed the treats, and I enjoyed talking the current owner about American sports, particularly college basketball and football.
From there we headed to the jewelry maker, the milliner, and the sunglass designer. Each provided a brief glimpse into the work involved with creating a product.
The jewelry designer/makers was a relatively short encounter with the creator and head designer of a trendy Milanese brand. The main designer was in and provided us with info on how they design and how much she loves the US. We watched women come and go for their appointments to try on and purchase new items from this lovely boutique.
The milliner was a much less lively affair. It was a glimpse into a man and a business that will end soon and cease to exist. He and his wife run the store basically alone. They take orders and make hats. He made hats for the Queen of England and her friends. If you want a special hat made to your size, this is where you go.
We were able to see his workshop, where he keeps the lasts for the molding of each design, touch the fabrics, talk to his wife about how he comes about the designs and try on a couple of hats only there as examples. We were even told a story about when the city tried to tax him for his use of an espresso machine in his workshop. He explained to the city the machine was not used to make coffee. When the city showed up, they learned he had reconfigured the machine in order to steam the hats to shape each properly. It could no longer make coffee, and he was not taxed. The hats were beautiful and it’s a terrible loss that one day it will fade away.
As we were about to leave, he looked at me and told me my hat size. He said either 61 or 62 centimeters. Not knowing my head size in European measurements, I took his word for it. He then commenced to measure my head. When he pulled the tape back it was at 61.5 centimeters. You have to be impressed when someone knows their craft that well.
We closed the craftsman section with sunglass designer. They didn’t just design sunglasses. They sold other brands and had the largest private collection of glasses in Italy. Most of them are at the owners house, but many are displayed all about the store or in cabinets ready to try on. We tried on many pair and almost bought a couple.
Our guide wasn’t done though. She also wanted to take us to a local bar serving a traditional buffet with drinks. The idea is to swing by a bar on your way home, have a glass of wine, and indulge in a few small plates of antipasto. We sat and talked for a while. She wanted to know about us and our trip.
We continued talking as she directed us to our final destination, the canals of Milan. Yes Milan has a couple of canals. Our guide told us about the shops and restaurants along the canal and gave us a few suggestions. After sampling a few beverages, we finished the night at a restaurant that served some type and form of cheese in every dish. It was a very rich meal and quite delicious.
We headed to bed later than planned, but we were excited. Venice was next.
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