Come to the Bagel Factory for fresh hand rolled bagels baked daily. It is located in Piazza XXIV Maggio. Here you can finally satisfy your craving for good fresh bagels with cream cheese or an omelette for breakfast or a delicious tuna or chicken salad bagel for lunch. If you get those New York blues, come in for a N.Y. Pastrami & Swiss bagel, you’ll forget for a moment that you are in Milan.

The staff is friendly and helpful and can help you decide what you’d like to try. All the bagels are on display as well as the fillings so you can see what you get. Variations include: Cinnamon Raisin, Garlic, Multigrain, Onion, Dry Tomato, Plain, Poppy Seed, Pumpernickles, Sesame, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry, just to name a few. Soups and salads are also available. Comfort food at its best.

Free delivery in Milan for orders over Euro 30,00.

Top Show Riso event

The Fiera del Riso takes place every year at the town of Isola della Scala near Verona.

This year, the Fiera del Riso ran for 25 days until October 9, 2011. Already in its 45th edition, once again it proved to be the greatest event in this field, as testified by these figures: over 600,000 visitors and over 20,000 portions of risotto served daily.

Learn about the different types of rice grown in this area, how rice is grown, and processed as well as taste all of the products made from rice. Don’t miss the next edition in 2012!

In the meantime, you can visit the area around Isola Della Scala and taste their delicious rice dishes. In all of the local shops you can also buy the local variety of rice which has merited the IGP label: Riso Vialone Nano.

Rice field in Isola della Scala near Verona

Elephant Parade in Piazza San Giorgio

It is Elephant Parade’s mission to be the world’s largest financial support organization for the Asian elephant, that is threatened with extinction. This year Milan is the city which hosts the outdoor exhibition of more than 80 artistic elephants. Located in various locations around the city, it is a real “treasure hunt” to find them all. Here is one in Piazza San Giorgio, just off of Via Torino.

Starting Tuesday October 11, la Rinascente will dedicate 4 of its shop windows in via San Radegonda in Milano to Elephant Parade. During the next 2 weeks you will be able to admire the elephants of Katy Perry and Antonio Cagianelli as well as a small herd of other statues. Small versions of the eleèhants are alos on sale at La Rinascente to support the Asian elephant cause.

Click here for map of the Elephant Parade to locate the 80 works of art on display.

Cheese Tasting at CHEESE 2011

CHEESE is an international biennial event organized by the City of Bra and Slow Food. This year it was held from September 16 -19, 2011. Dedicated to “milk in all its shapes and forms,” it has created an international network of cheese-makers and artisans who gather in Bra every two years to present their products, meet co-producers, discuss the challenges of the trade and market prospects and share solutions to problems old and new.

CHEESE illustrates and explores the complexity of knowledge, needs, problems and resources linked to dairy products, turning the spotlight onto the three pillars on which dairy quality rests: milks, crafts and places.

CHEESE is held in the historic center of Bra, the Piedmont town where the Slow Food international movement was founded and where its association headquarters are based. Around 200 exhibitors set up stalls in the streets and squares of Bra, offering their products for tasting and purchase.

Not all milk is the same. It can come from cows, sheep, goats, even yaks and every animal species has a rich variety of breeds, many of which are at risk of extinction. These animals are often unsuited to the living conditions imposed by industrial farming. Their milk produces cheeses with a unique taste and story, the result of pastures and practices that constitute an invaluable environmental and cultural heritage. Most importantly, raw milk is a guarantee of the highest possible sensory quality and a close link to the land. Slow Food has led the battle for the recognition of raw-milk cheese quality, bringing it to an international level since the first edition.

Laboratorio del Gusto

During the CHEESE fair you can participate in various “Laboratori del Gusto”, where you can learn about particular cheeses or special productions or do some tasting and pairing with local wines or beers. At the one I participated in, we tasted local cheese and salami paired with local beers and wines. Amazing!

San Siro Museum

All of you soccer fans, you will certainly enjoy a visit to Milan’s San Siro Meazza Stadium to see the playing field, the museum with all the trophies and memorabilia and the Milan-Inter shop where you can buy a souvenir shirt, hat, scarf or other team gadgets and gifts. Because of work on the new subway line 5, the access to the Gate 14 entrance may be a bit difficult, but ask for directions if you need help. We ended up parking the car near Gate 1 and walking all around.  You can also walk from the Lotto subway stop.

Gate 14 entrance to museum

Guided tours are given in English, about every 20 min. from 10 am to 6 pm. You will be able to see the playing field as well as the changing rooms of both the Milan (A.C. Milan) and the Inter (F.C. Internazionale) teams.  Whichever team you root for, it is fun to hear the tour guide talk about the rivalry between the two Milanese teams.  See their changing rooms below, each one purposely different and characteristic.

A.C. Milan changing room

F.C. Internazionale changing room

Although not a soccer fan myself, I could sense the enthusiasm of the visitors (most of them foreigners, by the way) and the awe at seeing the inside of the stadium, the benches,  VIP boxes, and the playing field.  We were told that the entire grass field is replaced 6 times a year to keep it in perfect shape. The exorbitant cost of this is divided equally between the two home teams.  I just wish they would spend a bit more money for the seats, which for the most part were in very poor condition. Then again, I guess my priorities are not the same of the teams.

Torre Branca

Inside the Sempione Park behind the Triennale of Milan museum, you can find a slender tower designed by the famous Italian architect and designer Giò Ponti and built in 1933. A panoramic elevator will take you to the top of this construction which dominates the park and can give you a wonderful birds-eye view of the Sforza Castle,  the Arco della Pace, and the red rooftops of the city.

If you are interested in seeing the city from this incredible viewpoint, check on opening hours by calling 02 3314120. At the base of the tower you get a drink and watch the locals at the chic Just Cavalli Cafè. If you go on a Thursday or Friday, you can take advantage of the late night opening hours at the Triennale of Milan museum next door which stays open till 11pm.

It is alway a very personal decision or “limited” to a survey of sorts which determines the “best 10″ of any category. Critics and readers alike hardly ever agree on the results. In any case, we in Milan were thrilled when the Duomo Cathedral was among the “10 most beautiful” as far as churches go. According to Budget Travel Magazine, the Milanese Gothic cathedral built between 1386 and the early 1800′s  has made the “hit parade”. The interior of the cathedral is dark and severe, but with beautifully crafted stained glass windows. The outside  made of Candoglia marble from the area north of Milan near Lake Maggiore is kept clean of polluting dirt by a full-time maintenance crew which cleans the facade on a regular basis. It fact you can often see scafolding on one of the facades of the church.

Take your time and admire both the interior and the exterior of the cathedral, including a walk on and through the rooftop. On a clear day you can get a wonderful view of the city including the mountain tops to the north. There are 52 pillars that divide the aisles, 135 steeples and 3400 statutes of which 2300 on the exterior of the building, but I lost the count at 2256 so I cannot verify the fact.

Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro

La Scultura italiana del XXI secolo - Italian Sculpture of the 21st century

curated by Marco Meneguzzo

Following last year’s exhibit of 20th century sculpture, this new exhibit shows some exciting and stimulating works by more than 80 young artists and bridging the span of only 10 years.  The use of diverse and sometimes unexpected materials seems to be the underlying component in most of the pieces. Precious marble, bronze, and other metals are substituted by paper, plaster, video, plastic, feathers, etc.

Fabrizi Corneli -Grande Volante VIII e Gianni Dessi - Confini 1

The use of light and shadows to create an image, for example as in the work by Fabrizio Corneli in “Grande Volante VIII” seems to suggest a desire to flee from all restraints and be open to innovation.

The large hand pointing downward to a white circle on the ground by Gianni Dessi – “Confini 1″ is  gesture and a space definer at the same time and creates a multitude of forms as the observer moves around it.

The exhibition space at the Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro is truly fantastic. This  ex- manufacturing facilities of the well known Riva & Calzoni was transformed into a multi-level light and transparent space and a perfect background for art venues.

Filippo La Vaccara - L'orso con la bandiera rossa

One of three paper maché bears which do unusual things and live in enchanted worlds
not too distant from the real world.

Loris Cecchini - Wallwave Vibrations

One of my favorites, this simple but powerful and “pulsating” wall.

Dario Ghibaudo - 550 pesci fuori d'acqua

Called ” 550 fish out of the water”, this playful and powerful rush of multicolored fish of varies species all rush to some unknown destination. . .  and so do we.

Walking down the shopping streets of Milan you could see an array of colors and forms. The following photos were taken by Daniela Porro on her Christmas stroll through the city!

Blue lights in Piazza Cordusio looking down Via Dante

A change to violet lights - Via Dante

Now where do you go for the most fashionable brands in town?

The Golden Triangle, of course.

Via della Spiga - clothes hanging on a line brings a smile to your face!

Via Montenapoleone - elegance and tradition

Fashion figures on parade

Other streets lined with simple but elegant lighting.

Simple Arches

A cascade of lights!

Last but not least – the spectacular Gothic Cathedral of Milan – the “DUOMO” with its illuminated stained-glass windows.

Duomo square with its fantastic tree and illuminated facade of the cathedral.

The “Novecento” Museum has finally opened its doors after an extensive renovation project, headed by Italo Rota and Fabio Fornasari, which has lasted several years. But the wait was worth it!

Come and see this immense collection of Italian art from the Avantgarde period at the beginning of the XXth century to the 60′s. The works belong to both public and private collections including among others, the house museum Boschi Di Stefano and the Jucker collection.

The museum includes over 400 works of art from paintings to statues, in chronological order, from Pellizza da Volpedo to Futurism, from  ”Spazialismo”  to “Arte Povera” (Poor Art) through the works of Carrà, Soffici, De Chirico, Sironi, Morandi, Fontana, Manzoni, Kounellis.

The space is on five levels joined by escalators, elevators, but above all by a huge spiral ramp which connects the floors and exhibition space. The museum will include a library of books related to this historical period,  a restaurant and bar as well as a museum shop for catalogs and souvenirs.