Exploring Milan? A guide to the must-see spots.Getty Images/iStockphoto
This week, designers from around the world descend on Milan for its furniture fair, Salone del Mobile, and Milan Design Week.
During the world's largest market dedicated to all things beautiful and interior, Fendi Casa and Minotti will display high-style couches and coffee tables, Tom Dixon will turn out globular lamps in a flash factory and the Netherlands' Organisation in Design will fill warehouses with emerging talent from across Europe.
"It's for the industry, but it's also for people who are just really passionate about design," says Shauna Levy, president of the Design Exchange museum in Toronto. "Things are very accessible."
Levy, who co-founded Toronto's Interior Design Show, is a regular at the Milan fair. Again this year she will be helping a small contingent of Design Exchange colleagues wend their way through the more than 2,000 exhibitors and hundreds of events.
Here she shares five spots she loves in the city.
Visitors to Expo Milano, the culinary-themed fair running from May to October, should take note.
Bar Basso
"It's just a local bar. But one year a few designers like Jasper Morrison went and had drinks as a way to have some quiet. Then they started to organize private little parties and launches at the bar. It's to the point now where basically every evening of the fair – never mind getting to the bar to order your drink – you can't get into the physical space because the crowd fills this entire street. It's this big street scene. It's definitely a must." 39 Via Plinio, barbasso.com
10 Corso Como
"It's one of the highest-profile design shops out there. It's on the same level as Colette in Paris or Dover Street Market in London. It's really this whole idea of an edited, curated fashion lifestyle experience filled with everything from limited-edition pieces to collaborations with designers. It also has an amazing fragrance selection, great sunglasses, menswear and womenswear." 10 Corso Como, 10corsocomo.com
A Santa Lucia
"In terms of restaurants, my favourite is 'a Santa Lucia.' It's located near La Scala, so it has this real post-opera scene. All the walls are covered in photos of famous singers. And they have the best antipasto bar ever, in particular the cauliflower. My husband and I made cauliflower for the next two weeks every night after we got home." 3 Via S. Pietro all'Orto, asantalucia.it
Bulgari Hotel
"Another design highlight. It's a renovated 18th-century palazzo. It has an amazing garden that's connected to the Botanical Garden, so you can sit in the garden and have a Campari and soda. You feel transported into another world." 7B Via Privata Fratelli Gabba, bulgarihotels.com
La Triennale di Milano
"The other must-go-to is the Triennale, the design museum, one of the very first established. It's everything from visual and decorative arts to architecture to design and fashion. During the fair itself, it does one of the most amazing jobs at being able to combine culture and commerce. For example, last year Citizen watches did an installation where they took the inside of watches and created this shower with the watch parts. It was mind-blowing."6 Viale Emilio Alemagna, triennale.org
Brera district
"A nice area to walk around would be Brera. It's right in the centre. It has an amazing selection of furniture shops, but also tiny boutiques, great little shoe shops, tons of amazing restaurants, like La Libera, and great little bars and cafés." La Libera: 21 Via Palermo, ristorantelaliberamilano.com
This interview has been edited and condensed.