Sophia Runs

As you can see, I am obsessed with photographing architecture when I’m travelling and squeezing as much sightseeing into one day as possible. Thank you again Stedentrips for this amazing opportunity! Milan had so many beautiful buildings mixed in with a healthy dose of graffiti that had me overusing my camera at every possible moment. I wish I could have documented more of my shopping and dining experiences but as it was all very rushed I allowed myself to savour those moments instead. I do have some remaining tasty tips for you.

My eyes are perpetually larger than my stomach and at Ristorante Giannino I was slightly disappointed by the portion size. However, even though I ordered a pasta dish and received a miniature portion, about the size of half my hand, I decided to eat slower, a notion that is completely foreign to me. I try to shove a morsel of every ingredient into my mouth simultaneously so that I can taste everything. In this case I decided to savour every God damn bite (it was amazing) and I left with a sense of culinary achievement.

Earlier in the day while oogling more clothing than is probably healthy, I came across a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti heels that were so painful to even look at because of the intense arch that I was adamant that no one would ever buy these. Milan of course teaches you that you are wrong about almost any assumptions you have regarding fashion and the idea of comfort is completely irrelevant here. I can already picture Anna Dello Russo looking up the word “comfort” in a dictionary.

So after dinner Anouk and I wandered a little further down the road and visited a bar called QOR to enjoy some cocktails and Edamame and it was exactly that pair of shoes that greeted me at the entrance, worn by an elderly woman. So yes, I will never assume anything ever again because, as I was taught as a 12 year old living in America, to assume makes an ass out of you and me (but mostly out of me).

The night ended with us falling face first into our beds in the Hotel Felice Casati at the end of our night. The extensive breakfast, the soft beds and all the extra bathroom treats mean I will definitely stay there next time when I visit again with Alasdair. All the soft pillows in the world could not have made up for my two nights of almost no sleep though. I almost missed my flight because I dozed off at the airport (most likely with my mouth wide open).

My final, random tip…while sitting on the bus next to an elderly gentleman, both of us travelling from the airport to the city cente, he told me not to miss the gelateria next to the train station that has actually been there since the 1930s. Of course I had to try it when arriving at the station for my journey back home and oh my God is the gelato amazing. So excuse my rambling, there was just so much to tell and yes, I’ll stop now.

Ristorante Giannino: Via Vittor Pisani, 6, 20124 Milan

QOR: Via Elba, 30, 20144 Milan

Gelati Sartori: Piazza Luigi di Savoia 1, 20124 Milan