First time in Italy and worried about eating decently on a budget? Here are some good tips

You're excited. It's the first time you've been to Italy, maybe even outside of your native country, and you're worried about eating on a budget. No problem, here are some basic tips that will get you from the toe to the top of the boot....More...



BARS

The bars in Italy (yes, they call them bar...imported foreign words tend to stay singular, even in the plural) are quite different from the bars in the U.S., and maybe in your country, too. Think English pub. Without the cute.

They are places where the whole family can go, where people drop in for a quick espresso (if you must, caffè lungo, caffè americano -- American-style coffee, but, if you want to fit in, don't embarrass yourself by asking for a cappuccino after breakfast time), a quick bite or lunch, and, later, an aperitivo (aperitif, pronounced ah-pair-ah-TEE-vo), and even a Happy Hour, but typically no heavy drinking goes on, here.

What's there to eat?

For breakfast, pasta frolla (a wonderful usually S-shaped sugar cookie) or brioche/cornetti of all kinds (pronounced bree-OSH / kor-NEH-tee): semplice (pronounced SEHM-plee-chaye with the "ch" of "church") with nothing inside, or with cioccolato (chocolate, pronounced cho-ko-LAHH-toe, with the "ch" of "church") or marmellata (different flavors of marmelade, jam; pronounced mar-meh-LAH-tah).

For lunch, there are typically cold sandwiches called panini (pronounced pah-NEE-nee; singular: panino ... instead of "nee" at the end, add "no") with all sorts of stuff inside, toast (UNTOASTED sandwiches on soft white bread), or piadine (plural, pronounced pee-ah-DEE-nay, for the singular add "no" on the end, instead of "nee"): a thick flour tortilla-like thing that is filled with stuff, and then just folded over. They'll ask you if you want it heated on a grill (Da riscaldare?). Sì for yes, and no for, well, no.

If you want it to take-away, say Da portare via (pronounced dah poor-TAR-ay VEE-ah), and they'll put it in a little sack for you. Don't forget your manners: per piacere (please; pronounced pair-pee-ah-CHAIR-ee) and grazie (thanks; pronounced grah-ZEE-aye).

Want something sweet, afterwards? Torta (a kind of heavy flat cake, pronounced TOR-tah) or frutta (fruit, pronounced FRUU-tah) are typical. Or a gelato (pronounced jeh-LAH-toe).

Oh, before we finish the bars...sitting down, even if you take your cup yourself and bus the table yourself...usually adds a Euro or two to the price, so you'll have to get the feel of individual bars before you do it. Servizio a tavola (table service) always costs a few Euros more, and, no, you may not sit down at those very inviting tables under those shady umbrellas without ordering something.

TAVOLA FREDDA

Some bars, or even cafeteria-style restaurants, have pre-prepared cold food that they can reheat in a microwave. In Milan, these typically are pre-prepared or choose-your-own plates of the following: verdura (vegetables, pronounced vair-DUR-ah), patate (potatoes, pronounced pah-TAH-tay), arrosto (roasted beef or veal, pronounced ah-ROH-stoh), cotoletta (veal cutlet, breaded or unbreaded, pronounced koh-toe-LEH-tah), and pasta (PAH-stah). There may also be uova (eggs, pronounced wu-OH-vah, singular irregular: add "voh" instead of "vah").

TAVOLA CALDA

This is like a half-way stage between a cafeteria and a tavola fredda. It's usually in a bar with more generous seating, and they have a sneeze-guarded area with heated food ready for your choosing; it's not self-service, you'll have to ask for what you want. If you're picky about your food, since it has been kept hot (and usually goes pretty fast, so relatively freshly made...particularly important for avoiding soggy pasta), it usually is a better taste choice than the preceding options.

BREK.COM

This is a chain of cafeterias owned by Autogrill (see below). It's one step above the tavole calde because the high turnover keeps some of the typical stuff fairly fresh (although I still recommend avoiding the pizza and pasta, as it's not at its best), while other things are prepared for you right in front of your eyes (for example, very tasty grilled chicken breasts). Salad fixings are fresh, but you'll have to be content with oil and vinegar for dressing (I recommend getting out of the habit of other kinds of dressing that cover up the taste of the salads and add useless calories). Keep an eye on what you put on your tray. It can add up.

SPIZZICO

An Italian pizza chain belonging to Autogrill (see below). What can I say...bleh. Avoid it. Pizza restaurants are plentiful, the costs are reasonable, and the pizza is MUCH better.

AUTOGRILL

If you are driving in Italy, these "pitstop" places mix bar-tavola fredda-tavola calda-shop (and bathroom amenities) for a break. As you might imagine, it's not the best you'll ever have eaten, but it's the only thing available pretty much, and is certainly better than nothing. Besides Italy, they are in a few European countries and even North America. Want to find out more about them? Here's the website in English.

WORD TO THE WISE

Before you go, at least look up the stuff you hate, or can't eat, but keep in mind that Italy is just now awakening broadly to vegetariansim or to special dietetic needs. You'll need to be flexible, and explore. That is, after all, what travelling is all about. Even at the table.

PARTING SHOT

Remember, I get no kickbacks of any kind for mentioning restaurants and shops!

Enjoy!

Some practical advice before you leave for Italy

Expect the unexpected.

Sounds like silly advice, but it's true. The differences you expect, or intuit, are manageable. It's the ones you don't expect that blindside you.

Next...try to find out as much as you can before you go, but, once there,...More......

...put the surprises in perspective. (Somehow, we've gotten to the ridiculous place where our lives have become unbearable if we can't find our favorite shampoo just right to make our hair curly / straight / fluffy / soft / resistant / stand up / lie down / stick out / fall into place.)

So here are a few hints about daily life in Italy that might help you encounter fewer unpleasant surprises while visiting. Forewarned is forearmed.

If you've never used a train, bus or subway before, here's a hint that will help a lot, wherever you find them: note not just where you need to get on and off, but also the final destination of the line you need to take. You'll need this info when checking which platform (binario) or stop (fermata) to use to take the right means of transport going in the right direction.

For trains, if the ticket has a seat and day and time reservation printed on it, you don’t have to stamp the ticket before getting on (but just to be safe, I do it, anyway). The little yellow machines are at the head of the train platforms. Slip one ticket end all the way into the horizontal slot, and, if it’s working, the machine will stamp it, and maybe even bite a little chunk out of a corner.

To decide which bus/tram/subway ticket to buy from the ticket machines (which have screens in English), you'll have to know if your destination is inside, or outside, the standard zone. Look for a note on the overall map: "Limite tariffa urbana / Urban fare limit". If it's inside that limit, you're set, and you only need a "biglietto urbano" (urban ticket). Anything beyond that, and you'll need a ticket with a supplement (THIS ALSO GOES FOR THE NEW FIERA/TRADE FAIR SITE AT RHO-PERA JUST OUTSIDE MILAN). The calculations can be complicated. Ask the ATM rep, "Vado qui [point on map], che biglietto devo comprare?" (I'm going here, which ticket must I buy?) or "Vado a [say the stop name], che biglietto devo comprare" (I'm going to PLACE, which ticket must I buy?), and then "Potrebbe aiutarmi, per favore?" (Could you help me, please?) If you don’t do this properly, the automatic turnstiles might not let you out at the other end, and if the controller stops you, you will get a fine. (Moral of the story: always buy not just a ticket, but the right ticket.)

For the subways and trams, the credit card-sized ticket probably will have a magnetic strip on the back. On the front, there probably will be some kind of arrow-like design. With the design facing toward you or up, as the case may be, slip the ticket into the slot on the machine in the direction of the arrow. The machine probably will grab the ticket, swallow and stamp it, then spit it back out so you can take it. If you have a stiff credit card-like magnetic card, instead, it might be sufficient to place the card up against the machine's active surface (often marked, though on this machine it's not). There probably will be a pleasant "beep" and a green light, if all went well. If it didn't go well (the card or the time left on it is expired, or you need to take the card out of its protective holder before pressing it up against the machine), you'll probably get a red light and a buzz. If there is a digital screen, it might say something like "scaduto" (expired).

In Milan, more and more subway lines and train stations also require you to use your ticket to get OUT, as well as IN. Typically, though, it may be posted plainly, and not be in force, or at least not 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Don't let that fool you. The moment you toss it out, you will need it. Insert it, or hold it up to the machine, as just described.

Oh heck, why not just take a taxi, instead? They're white in Milan, and on their doors they will have an official taxi service company sticker, or the (very small) logo of Milan. They can be taken at taxi stands, sometimes marked with an orange sign that says, surprise surprise, "taxi." Sometimes, they are at a column outfitted with a special intercomm for the taxi drivers. Technically, they can't be hailed on the street, but if you see someone getting off right in front of you, and can jump right in.... Be on the look out for pirate taxis, that is, people who propose you private transport service in their private cars, with no insurance, no guarantees. Read this.

Tips for taxi drivers and waiters usually suffice at a Euro, or two.

Out and about, and need to go to the toilet? Since malls and large department stores are few and far between, what to do? Go into a bar, pay for a water or a coffee, and ask to use their bathroom. You might need to get a key from the barman. Other options? Pay toilets are sometimes available in the metro and train stations, but they don't always have a human helper to take the money, and make change. You will have to use exact change in the gate machine. Don't count on there being a money-changer, or that, if present, it works. Moral of the story: carry spare change. (The last time I needed one, recently, it was 80 Euro cents.) Second moral of the story: carry TP.

Squeamish? I empathize. Italian toilets are usually filthy. Excuse my bluntness, too, but if you can't do anything without sitting, you'll either need to learn to squat and hover, or you'll need to bring your own seat covers. In my nearly 20 years in Italy, I've seen them in maybe TWO bathrooms. I was so flabbergasted, I snapped a photo of it. UPDATE: Forgot to mention that you just might not have any choice, but to squat...what the Italians call "Turkish toilets"--a ceramic hole in the floor--are becoming more widespread. The flushing mechanisms are similar to those already described.

By the way, the flushing mechanism is different, too, and can cause momentary panic. Old toilets still can have a chain from a suspended little tank of water. The mechanism can be a pedal or a large floor button. It can be a wall button of various kinds. It can be a press-down spot on the top of the toilet tank. It even can be a wall handle to turn on...AND OFF. It can be automatically activated by a sensor, and scare the pee-diddly out of you while you are tugging up your pants. It never will be the little lever on the front of the toilet tank that you expect.

Don't expect a little flip-down purse shelf in the stall, either. Maybe I've seen ONE in all these years, or maybe it's a dream. You'll be lucky if there is one flimsy coat hook. Moral of the story: leave your bulky stuff with a trusted friend, while making the trip to the john.

Love eating the local food, but it's also nice to have just some fresh fruit, now and then? Old style fruit and vegetable stores are beautiful, but DO NOT TOUCH THE STUFF, YOURSELF. Get help from the worker. Large supermarkets are getting to be more and more common in Italy, so they are navigable, for the most part. As you are wandering in the fresh fruit and vegetable section, you'll have a new experience (which I wish they would duplicate in the States): little plastic gloves for the hand you use to touch the exposed fresh fruit and vegetables in order to put them into the little plastic bags. Don't forget to weigh and price tag the bagged fresh fruit and veggies, too. The price/ID-ing sign will have a number...that's the number you need to punch on the weighing machine (they don't all have pictures associated with the numbers) to generate the price tag to slap on the bag.

All done? Time to go to the check-out lines. My first time, though, the clerk stared at me as I waited for someone to come to bag my groceries. That was twenty years ago. Last time I was in the States, I noted that that has gone the way of the dodo there, too. You'll have to ask for bags (for which you are charged a per bag fee) and, as the clerk passes the tags through the price recognition scanner then hands the stuff to you, you'll have to bag it yourself, rapidly. When it's time to pay, whip out your ATM card ("bancomat"), or cash ("contanti"), or even credit cards ("carta da credito"). If you whip out a card, the clerk will ask, "carta da credito o bancomat?". Forget checks ("assegni").

Oh, and some last minute advice. Stay on the right hand side (“tenere la destra”) of escalators (“scala mobile”) or moving sidewalks (“tapis roulant”…a la francese, so don’t say the “s” or the final “t”), so people wanting to go up or down faster than you can pass by you more easily.

Hot and thirsty? Seen these waist-high green columns with running faucets around town? It's (delicious and safe) drinkable water. These columns are scattered around Italy, but in Milan, they've drilled holes in the top of the faucets, so by plugging up the flow, you get a nice drinking fountain-like squirt of clean cool water. Make sure that no one is standing in front of the fountain the first time you do it, or in your efforts to control the squirt, they might get a shower.

DON'T TAKE YOUR SHOES/SANDALS OFF IN PUBLIC AND DON'T DON'T DON'T PUT YOUR FEET UP...ON ANYTHING...EVER. Been there, know what it's like to travel your dogs off, and need to put your feet up ("Heck, I've got newspaper under my feet to protect the seat, don't I?"). It's considered very very disgusting and very very rude.

Oh, yeah, keep your voice down, even during normal conversation. Americans have very loud voices, and it’s very annoying to those around you. Even to me, an ex-pat.

And finally, you just might have to dress better than you do at home when you're out and about, if you don't want to look like a scruffy tourist not worthy of respect (because you're not respecting local traditions). Beach wear is another matter, but when in town, don't go half naked (no strap dresses, ladies; no open shirts or narrow shouldered t-shirts and no going bare-chested, guys), no short shorts, in fact, not even Bermuda shorts. Especially if you want to get into a church to look around, you'll need to be decently dressed (not even sleeveless wear otherwise considered decent is allowed). (P.S., some churches charge a modest fee to enter as a tourist; this helps to pay for the lighting and maintenance, don’t begrudge it; furthermore, look for the “Mantenimento della Chiesa” / “Restauro della Chiesa” alms boxes, and put some spare change in them.) And although having nothing to do with decency, it does have a great deal to do with good taste: no flip flops and no sayings and pictures printed on your T-shirts. Yuck.

Traveling is a mind-opening experience. If you don’t find a better way to do something or look at something, then at least it will be a different and equally valid way. Respecting local cultures not your own is a good habit. (Don’t like the local culture for whatever reason? Don’t go.) Challenging yourself with new situations is stimulating. Relaxing a bit and doing fun stuff is, well, relaxing and fun.

I hope these hints can help you enjoy your travels in Italy, even more!

What to do?

A few ideas to lift your spirits, rest and relax...More......

--May 17-25, Milano Food Week, talks about food, wines and techniques, demonstrations, restaurant appointments and street food (at least this last is in English!) on an Italian-only (sigh) web site with a day-by-day list of activities. Look up a few of your favorite words (wine = vino!), and taste away.

--May 19, Per i corti e cortili, a day of food fun for all the family with visits to working farms complete with furry donkeys and honking geese for the kiddies (and maybe you, too) and 0 kilometer food fun. The site's only in Italian, but click on the itinerary ("14 percorsi") list for place names and addresses.

--May 20-2 June, Taste of Milan, if your a foodie, you're on a roll! (Sorry! Couldn't resist!), and, this time, the web site's also in English.

--May 26, the Palio of Legnano, heard of the famous horse race in the piazza at Siena?, well, there's a similar (costumed!) race in Legnano, a small city near Milan! There is a series of activities starting as early as May 17 that lead up to the Palio, so head to the web site to check out the whole schedule...alas and alack, only in Italian! Tickets for the uncovered observation field ("campo sportivo Giovanni Mari") are E. 10 for adults, E. 5 for kids. If you want to sit in the best seats, the most expensive seats are E. 70 a piece.

There, that ought to keep you busy, at least for a few days!

Enjoy!

(N.B., the photo is of food, but I snapped it at the Rho-Pero convention center a few months ago...just to be clear!)

Second Food and Wine Festival in Milan, February 9-11, 2013

Like to sip choice wines, munch on scrumptious food and melt over heavenly desserts?

Milan's second "Food&Wine Festival" is for you!

Over 400 carefully selected...More......

...wines from 125 wineries can be tasted at will for the Euro 30 entrance fee.

20 famous chefs and 25 renowned dessert chefs will tempt you with tasty yummies for Euro 10 a serving.

Where? At MiCo, Via Giovanni Gattamelata, 5 (the area of the old in-town convention center).

When? Saturday, from 1 P.M. to midnight; Sunday from 11 A.M. to 10 P.M.; Monday from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M. (tickets on sale until 1 hour before closing).

Enjoy!

Tired? Want a soda or sandwich with a view (and AC)? Look no more: Le Jardin d'Histoire

There we were, my friend and I, walking (preferably on the shady side of the street), chatting, getting caught up after the holidays, and I got so thirsty all I could think of was a cool soda in a cool place where I could sit. Our first choice was closed, heading back in the general direction of home, our second choice was way too crowded and noisy. A light went on over my friend's head, and she said, "Hey, there's a café on the top of the Natural History Museum, and it's just over there!" (Cosmos bless her!)...More......

We went up the steps of the front entrance (Corso Venezia, 55, on the park's corner with via Palestro), told the ladies of the Biglietteria (Ticket Counter) that we wanted to go to the "bar" (don't get confused, they're what we would call a kind of "coffee shop" with a bit of eats), so she sent us to the (service!) elevator and to the 4th floor, where this delightful little place, not quite chic, but certainly not shabby, awaits. (Heading the other direction sends you into the museum for which there is a reasonable fee...and lots of fun and interesting stuff to see, so go there, too!)

You have your choice of typical bar tables and chairs and a teeeny glimpse of the towers of San Carlo and the Duomo from the open air porch (which, on Saturday, was tooooo hot), or...

...the semi-frozen AC'd interior with surprisingly stylish wicker furniture (not quite visible in the photo due to the blast of light) and large glass window disturbed a bit with Johnny-come-lately tacky bits...just enough to make the chic palatable and fun.

It was just the right place, quiet and cool with chairs and tables, at just the right moment.

Want more practical info about the cafè? Here's the official civic web site (the museum belongs to the city) which isn't in English--booooo!--but it does have the phone number and hours (the cafè is inside the museum, so observes their hours): http://www.comune.milano.it/dseserver/webcity/documenti.nsf/0/1080BA0850607AF7C12570B300371910?opendocument

As usual, all pictures are mine, and are for your personal non-commercial enjoyment. The first photo of the Renoir exhibit in nearby Pavia was a wonderful stroke of luck: shade from an overhanging tree perfectly aligned with the shade of the lovely lady's umbrella. Fun!

Enjoy!

Yeah, the season of open air dining is just around the corner!

In truth, it should be here, already, but the weather is getting weirder and weirder.

The ads for these places caught my eye, recently, so here they are, with a few (unverified) tidbits from their own texts:...More...

DOWNTOWN MILAN (behind the Broletto, near to the Duomo)
"Al Mercante" - Piazza dei Mercanti, 17
Closed Sunday - reservations encouraged - tel. +39.02.805.2198
http://www.ristorantealmercante.it
'Lombard specialities and traditional Italian cooking reign, though a bit of fantasy peeks out, too. The menu is changed daily to take advantage of food in-season. Outdoor dining available also in the evening, in one of the most beautiful and evocative corners of Milan.'

SOUTHERN RING OF ERSTWHILE SPANISH WALLS (Porta Ticinese, near Piazza XXIV Maggio)
"Be Bop" - via Col di Lana, 4
Open every day - reservations encouraged - tel. +39.02.837.6972
http://www.ristorantebebop.com
'Traditional Italian cooking available also in vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free versions. Internal romantic veranda open all year.'

NAVIGLI (CANAL) AREA
"Erba brusca orto con cucina" - Alzaia Naviglio Pavese, 286
Open from Wednesday to Sunday (Sunday Brunch from noon to 3 P.M.) - tel. +39.02.8738.0711
http://www.erbabrusca.it
'Unique and precious locale located at the border between countryside and city, in this restaurant are served herbs and vegetables grown by the restaurant, itself. Everything else, chosen with care, is organic. Even the atmosphere is unique: homey, but international. The menu offers refined, authentic, tasty and innovative dishes. Seating with a view of the restaurant's garden.'

NEAR MILAN (in San Donato, not far from the Chiaravalle Abbey, which also deserves a visit)
"La corte miridea" - Via L. Calabresi, 42 (Borgo Bagnolo, San Donato Milanese)
Closed Saturday for lunch - reservations encouraged - tel. +39.02.5187.9639
http://www.lacortemiridea.it
'More than a restaurant, it is really and truly an antique village with elegant rooms, a splendid portico and an ample garden, everything necessary for a romantic evening, or for an important appointment. The cooking specializes in fresh seafood, and the menu is changed daily to take advantage of the freshest ingredients.'


Since I haven't been to any of these places, I can't vouch for the veracity of their statements, but you can! If you go, comment on the food, ambiance, services and prices (nothing was listed in the advert, sorry!), below, so others can benefit from our experience.

Just a reminder that I get absolutely no payment or kickbacks for mentioning anything commercial.

Enjoy!

Delightful place to hang out

Encouraged by the happy memory of a new friend (Hi, N.!), I finally stopped into Bar Magenta at the corner of Via Carducci and Corso Magenta in Largo d'Ancona. I've only been meaning to do it for, oh, maybe 15 years...More......

I don't rush into things, do I?

Lovely on the outside, authentic and picturesque on the inside, it's bigger than it looks from the outside, and not only offers coffee and drinks, but also simple food and--yes!--free WiFi.

For more info, see this site, as I couldn't find an official one for the bar: http://milano.tonight.eu/birreria/bar_magenta

(Remember, I get no kickbacks of any kind for these notices.)

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (23): the Easy life in Milan, and more...

The pun was too good to pass up. If you are in Milan, one of the free helpful publications is...More......

...EASY MILAN (http://www.easymilano.it). Of the three free handy dandy publications in English available (we've talked about the other two, WHERE MILAN and MILANO MESE, before), this one is most focused on practical stuff, and so will be helpful for those living here. Its "classified ads" format, with some other paid advertising thrown in, is organized by subject, from Arts & Leisure to Worship, but not in alphabetical order [see me frown...], passing through employment opportunities along the way.

Coming to Milan to do some discount shopping? I guess if you're set on having that high end fashion brand splashed all over your clothes, you'd might as well spend 50% less (though it still escapes me, how a rinky dink not-even-very-good-quality cotton T-shirt could cost $500 and more in the first place). Here's yet another place to put on your list: NIKI, Viale Montenero, 78, not so far from centrally located Piazza 5 Giornate, tel. +39.02.546.88.55.

Summertime closures haunt the city, though, so call ahead.

Speaking of summertime closures, hungry after all that shopping? How about some Mexican food for lunch? It's already ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to find a Mexican food restaurant open for lunch in Milan (boooooooo!). Where to go?

During the year (except for August), go to Otra Vez on Viale Monte Nero, about halfway between Piazza 5 Giornate and Piazza Medaglia d'Oro. "It's August, though!," I hear you cry. Fear not. The "sister" restaurant, Cueva Maya, on Viale Monte Nero, but closer to Piazza Medaglia d'Oro, is open for lunch (but only in August).

"How IS their food?," you ask. I just had lunch at Cueva Maya a couple of days ago, and it was pretty good (coming from Southern California, where Mexican food is native, I consider myself, if not an expert, at least quite informed).

Beware of getting burritos anywhere in Milan. ALWAYS ask first, "Do you fix your burritos ahead of time, and then heat them up in the microwave?" ("Preparate in anticipo i vostri burritos e poi li riscaldate nel micronde?") If the answer is "sì" (and it probably will be), pick something else. At Cueva Maya, that "something else" interesting on the menu was a 'taco' with grilled beef, which turned out to be a thick flour tortilla heated on the grill, then folded in half around the stuffing. Wasn't anything like the tacos (with stiff deep-fried corn tortillas) I know. Turns out to be the burrito I had wanted all along, just not double folded, but I was all the happier for it.

How about the hot sauce for dipping the tortilla chips? Unlike a different (and supposedly snazzy) Mexican food restaurant I tried a few months back, at least here it seems like the tomatoes of their sauce were fresh, not canned (boooooo!), but there was too much hot pepper and not enough cilantro for my taste...in fact, you could hardly taste the cilantro at all...was it more authentically Mexican this way? Was it adjusted for Italian taste buds? I don't know. Maybe one of my gazillion (11) readers is Mexican, and will be able to answer this searing question.

How was the bill at the end of the meal? A heck of a lot for Mexican food, in my book, but not so bad for Milanese standards: E.15 for the taco (with a spoon each of refriend beans, sour cream and guacamole and a bit of greens, but I didn't go away hungry) and E.3 for the bottle of water, a whoppin' E.18 plus the E.2 tip for a grand total of E.20 ($28.20 at the current exchange rate of 1.41...OUCH! I wish I hadn't done that calculation).

Would I go back?

Now that I've seen that calculation, I'll be MUCH less tempted, until I can't resist the Mexican food bug bite any longer...maybe next year..., but in their defense, that plate was pretty darn close to what I consider good Mexican food.

Photoless Friday (19): sensorial delights for a Friday afternoon

At a loss for something to do with such a gorgeous Friday afternoon, as today promises?

Have I got some powerhouse suggestions for you for some wonderful gems known well, perhaps, only by a discerning few!...More......

Via Bagutta.

A little strip passing obliquely from Piazza San Babila towards via Manzoni...where it never arrives. It stops, instead, on via S. Andrea, home of the marvelous Civic Museum of Milan offering even centuries old painted views of the picturesque Milan of canals that is no more. The museum deserves its own post...that'll be for another day.

Today, we're first headed somewhere else that had piqued my interest each time I passed it, too much in a rush to get to work on time to even look properly in the windows.

Finally en route with a little bit of time to spare, I slipped into via Bagutta to walk calmly, not squashed by the crush of locals and tourists, at least in that short stretch parallelling the beginning both of Corso Matteotti (originally Corso del Littorale) and the famous via Montenapoleone...which is not just important for the high fashion readymade wear shops that have gobbled up the street. "Montenapo," as we locals call it, also deserves a post all its own...another day.

As I leisurely stepped along the paving stones, I felt a bubbling idea..."Wasn't there a...?," and, as soon as the idea jumped full-formed out of my head like Athena from the skull of Zeus, I was already at this place promising wonders: L'Artisan Parfumeur, via Bagutta, 8.

"Nomen omen" ('the name is a prediction'), I bet myself.

"Oh how marvelous, I wonder just how costly their tailor-made perfumes are? If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Oh, what the heck, I've got time, I've always wanted to stop in, and so just go for it."

Very glad I did.

First off, I learned that they don't do "tailor-made" perfumes, but their chain did start with a master perfume craftsman (setting up his own shop in the years after WWII, as I recall!), so the "artisan" part of the title still is apt and well-deserved.

And guess what?

The clerk was friendly (surprise of all surprises...in an Italian boutique of any type?! I'd go back just for that!) and helpful. He asked my scent preferences, then offered spritzes of them in little specially made paper cones set onto plexiglass stems so that--how fun!--to sniff them was like sipping champagne. (Very smart marketing tool, that.)

The two responding to my preferences are heavenly, the third, the first perfume created, is very nice, too, a bit like fresh clean delicate soap.

The shop is so chic, the experience, too, all so lovely, I almost didn't ask, but got up my courage for you. And you know what?

Their perfumes are only a tad more expensive than the other important large chain well known ones, so they're not out of reach, and would make a very neat treat for oneself, or an impressive gift for a female significant other (I forgot to ask if they have perfumes for men, too...stop in, ask, and let me know).

Very very much worth it.

Well, that was so satisfying, what could I possibly do, next, to top that?

"Top" is a bit strong, but there still are some fun things to come that at least equal it.

Just a few steps ahead, and if you plan right, you'll be able to have lunch at "Bagutta," one of Milan's famous culinary traditions: via Bagutta, 14. Very pleasant, very tasty, very authentic Milanese experience.

When you've finished eating and leave the restaurant, continue in the same general direction, and you'll get to another wonder: ladies' shoes so gorgeous, so expressive of fanciful yet good taste, consequently so hard on the budget, but so easy on the eyes.

Rene Caovilla di Venezia.

Couldn't see a street number, but you can't miss it at (or almost at) the corner of via Bagutta and via S. Andrea.

So, we've treated your eyes, mouth and nose to a little bit of heaven. What could possibly be left?

An excellent coffee (with, perhaps, a dessert...why not, just think of all the walking you've been doing) in yet another Milanese tradition, then stimuli for the eyes and mind.

COVA - Pasticceria-Confetteria (cake and sweets shop), founded in 1817 (that's just a couple of years after Waterloo, remember? What courage the founder of Cova must have had), via Montenapoleone, 8, at the corner of via S. Andrea, near to where via Bagutta deadends (did I forget to tell you to turn to the left onto via S. Andrea out of via Bagutta?).

After coffee, how can I resist?, why not continue a few more meters/yards on Montenapo, turn right onto via Gesù, and treat your eyes and mind to a visit of the museum where I work, the marvelous Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, one of Europe's most important and best preserved historic house museums (which is just a fancy way to say that it's a "time capsule" of the late 19th century, with the Italian Renaissance art and decorative arts collections not only intact, but--importantly--displayed as the brothers and collectors wanted them to be, so it's also a great place just to be nosy about how a newly aristocratic Milanese family lived then http://www.museobagattivalsecchi.org).

If, after seeing the museum, you want to head back down Montenapo to the San Babila stop of the red line, I'll say goodbye to you, now.

If you want to keep going down Montenapo in the direction of via Manzoni (this time, we'll get there), I have just one more thing to say: outlet big name brand shopping in a shop about two shops shy of via Manzoni. The percentages off sound pretty good...until you look at the starting price. Frankly, the prices still are ridiculously obscene for most of the stuff, whether of important fabrics and complex construction, or a simple light cotton with a bat wing sleeve (no tailoring there, just a couple of straight quick seams, and it's done). If you absolutely HAVE to have something from one of the big names, though, you'd might as well start here.

It's time for a quick pre-close reminder: I get no kickbacks, or perks, of any kind for mentioning any of these places.

Enjoy!