Last week we headed back to Italy for a week of indulgence, food, shopping and lots of fun. I booked us on Emirates which offers an excellent experience in their business class for the relatively short flight. Although it was smack in the middle of the Government shut down we were thankfully unaffected with our flight leaving right on time at 10:30 pm. The plan was to sleep rather than waste time eating onboard so I sampled some snacks in the lounge (the fresh dates were the highlight) and then once seated settled in for as much shuteye as I could. As per usual on Emirates the flight attendants were incredibly professional and attentive, though the lavatories could have benefitted from more frequent freshen-ups.
Our last trip to Milan was just 6 months ago (which you can read about here), and while I really enjoyed the Portrait Hotel I decided to try Casa Cipriani Milano, a fairly new membership club which also offers the ability to reserve as a non-member. With only 15 accommodations (12 rooms and 3 suites) the Cipriani is truly intimate. My travel agent has booked many clients there which may or may not explain why our room was ready for us when we arrived at 11:30 am.
Although Casa Cipriani is not actually a conventional hotel we still received the Virtuoso amenities of a F & B credit, free breakfast, early/late check-in ( and numerous welcome gifts including chocolates, champagne, fruit and complimentary mini bar snacks). The one caveat we had to abide by was the restrictions on photos in any public spaces so as to ensure the club members their privacy. I figured pictures of our signature suite was allowed, and as you can see below it was decorated in a classic sophisticated Italian style, with plenty of branding featuring the iconic bartender and founder, Giuseppe Cipriani.
After checking out the room we headed upstairs to enjoy lunch in the Cipriani Restaurant, the epitome of Cipriani taste and style with solicitous, attentive service and a classic Milanese menu delivered by handsome waiters outfitted in crisp white-jackets. Not only chic but delicious as well. On a Sunday afternoon the dining room was filled with multi-generational families (lots of well-behaved and well-dressed children) enjoying generous portions of pasta and plenty of wine for the elders.
Because we find ourselves in Milan frequently there is less pressure to sightsee and more opportunity to shop without feeling guilty. Milan is so compact that you can cover a lot of ground efficiently. The first stop was the Gucci Flagship where I couldn’t resist the new shearling Princetown slippers and then to Bottega Veneta where I vacillated over an Andiamo clutch with a flower clasp for far too long ( in the end I passed on it). I loved the tongue-in-cheek bags at Moschino but ultimately found a dress at Etro that had to come home with me. It was a steady rain but fortunately we had umbrellas supplied by the Cipriani and even my shopping bags were outfitted with their own little slickers. In addition to clothes shopping we also found ourselves in the Officine Gullo showroom fantasizing about their spectacular bespoke kitchens.
We even managed to squeeze in a bit of culture (and also get a break from the wet weather) when we popped into a free exhibition at the Nicola Trussardi Foundation.
It’s a lot of pressure to choose a restaurant when you have just one night in a city so I decided to go with what I believed would be a slam-dunk, booking dinner at the flagship Langosteria, a Milan hotspot which has expanded into a global sensation with outposts in Paris, London, Saint Moritz and Miami (with more to come). Our old standby in Milan has always been Ristorante Da Giacomo although recently we have been attempting to spread our wings a bit.
There are so many people who love Langosteria, but sadly after our meal I am not one of them. Part of the pleasure of dining in Italy is the professional, attentive and iengaging service that is on display in the finer restaurants. In Langosteria the staff seemed not only juvenile but also distracted and casual. There was a parade of servers who came to help us but not a single one seemed particularly sincere. Setting the service aside I was hopeful the food might make up for the uninspired service but as soon as they brought out my gluten free bread selection I knew to temper my expectations; the rock hard rolls were inedible due to a lengthy blast in the microwave. Keeping an open mind, the amuse bouche of octopus floating on a bed of silky mashed potatoes was not bad. I opted for Ligurian style cod with capers and potatoes as well as calamari with spicy pumpkin. Both dishes were adequate but truly nothing remarkable. My husband ordered the Frittura and octopus with chorizo and potatoes, again, fine but not anything special. Langosteria’s reputation is based on the freshness and variety of their fish and while that may be true the atmosphere is forced, the pace of the meal is too quick, the service is distracted and the tables are way too close together.
When the dessert menus were proffered (and while on vacation I almost never refuse dessert) my husband and I looked at one another and knew that going back to the Cipriani and raiding our welcome amenities would be a far better choice than staying for another course. Perhaps it was an off night (it was Sunday after all) but the restaurant just fell flat. Next time you can find us at Da Giacomo enjoying old school Italian hospitality and atmosphere.
Breakfast was tasty and served in The Pickering Room, a gorgeous space on the first floor (sorry I can’t show the photos) which fortified us for some exploration before heading to the next stop on our itinerary. It was a spectacular day so we headed to the Duomo to pay a mandatory visit and worked our way through the surrounding streets.
There was no time for a proper lunch before heading out of town so we picked up some goodies at Milan’s high quality bakery chain Princi to enjoy in the car, checked out of the Cipriani and set off for Bologna where we had lots of adventures planned (including a Lamborghini aficionado’s fantasy). Stay tuned!
As a final note, regarding Milan hotels, there has been a veritable explosion of new luxury accommodations that have recently opened with more in the pipeline. I was glad we tried the Cipriani but I feel the location and service at the Portrait gives it an advantage. I am anxious to keep an eye on what is opening in 2026, but in the meantime if you have a recommendation for me, please comment on this post.
