a perfect day in Milan

with Angelo Vighi - Milan-based photographer

10AM I meet up with Marco, a friend who’s visiting from out of town. We catch up over espressos and pastries at Cova, a bar-café. We order at the bar: table service is double the price and anyway, I’m a typical Milanese guy – I don’t have time to sit down!

10.30AM I take Marco to Piazza Scala, to see the worldfamous opera house. The Scala has its own museum attached, stuffed full of costumes, autographs and props. Our ¤5 entry tickets allow us to view the opulent auditorium from one of the boxes. We’re tempted to book for an opera – maybe another time.

11AM We walk through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the elegant 19th-century shopping concourse, to Piazza del Duomo. I’ve photographed the Duomo, a mountain of marble and the third largest cathedral in the world, many times. Marco and I pay ¤6 to take the lift up to the roof to admire the view. You can sunbathe here in the summer and, on clear winter days, see a glittering view of the Alps to the North.

NOON Marco is off to view Leonardo’s Last Supper at the Cenacolo, but I head to the Triennale contemporary design museum, in Parco Sempione, to catch the latest exhibitions. Earlier this year it was Armani fashions through the decades

2PM Marco and I reconvene for lunch in the old artists’ quarter, Brera. It’s getting more touristy but I still have a favourite restaurant here: Rigolo. It serves Tuscan cuisine and the staff are charming. We swap stories over beef fillets.

4PM After lunch we head to 10 Corso Como for an espresso and to browse Carla Sozzani’s shop. Full of designer clothes and lifestyle accessories, it’s a temple of contemporary taste. I like to buy photography books here, for my coffee table.

6PM Aperitivo time! We stop at B4, a comfortable bar near my old photography studio. Over Negronis we debate where to go for dinner and maybe some live music.

9PM We’re not dressed smartly enough for Armani Privé so we decide on Quattrocento instead, and sit down to great 21stcentury Milanese cuisine in the restored 15th-century convent. It’s Friday night and the moon is riding high. The DJs here will be on the decks until the small hours.

About Angelo Vighi…
Vighi founded his photography studio in Milan in 1972. His work for Italy’s fashion and advertising industries has appeared in magazines including ABC and Stop. Studio Angelo Vighi, Via Decemviri 12, Milan

milan address book

Cova Via Montenapoleone, 8 +39 02 7600 0578	Teatro alla Scala Largo Ghiringhelli, 1 +39 02 7200 3744 www.teatroallascala.org
Triennale Viale Alemagna Emilio, 6 +39 02 8698 4432 www.triennale.it	Rigolo Via Solferino, 11 +39 02 2901 3581 www.rigolo.it
10 Corso Como Corso Como, 10 +39 02 2901 3581 www.10corsocomo.com	B4 Via Vannucci, 13 +39 02 5830 5632
Quattrocento Via Campazzino, 14 +39 02 8951 7771 www.4cento.com