This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
This urban exploration was made together with Gaggia, Baracuta and Stenströms. Brands that, like us, believe in doing things slowly, beautifully, and with purpose.
During our first day together in Milan, we strolled around the Porta Venezia neighborhood exploring quiet streets and magazine stores, grabbed a quick lunch in Brera and then took part in an Espresso masterclass by Gaggia and Cafezal.
It was an interesting mix of theory and practice but, most of all, an enjoyable experience to try our hand at brewing a great coffee!
The key takeaway was that a good espresso requires consciousness and attention: grinding coarseness, check. 16 grams of ground coffee, check. Tamp it before brewing to ensure an even extraction, check.
By executing all these steps in the right order, you should expect to obtain at least a decent espresso—and our results were not too bad indeed.
And more than the result in and by itself, what was especially rewarding was learning that, with the right machine and enough dedication, we could all become skilled home baristas: on this high note, we waved goodbye, after planning to meet for lunch the next day.
The following morning, we met near Palestro to peek around the Indro Montanelli gardens—opened in 1784, it’s the oldest public park in Italy—and slowly made our way to the picturesque and (deservedly) popular Brera district: our destination was via Solferino, and we had to get there by noon.
For lunch, we opted for Enoteca Cotti, a historic winery recently taken over by a new management that evolved it into a restaurant while preserving its stunning interiors, lined in pale green wooden boiserie matched to elegantly intricate terrazzo floors.
Originally opened in 1952, the establishment spans the most part of a turn-of-century building, with shelves covered in wine bottles running from floor to ceiling, imposing Murano chandeliers, and a bar corner stocked with all kinds of cheese, salami and focaccia—where we decided to start from.
While Gianni sliced our charcuterie, we let the team recommend a bottle to pair with the aperitivo, ending up on a champagne by a small, family-owned vineyard that was simply divine.
Impressed by the variety, quality and rarity of the delicacies we were savoring, we couldn’t know the best was yet to come. But we understood it as soon as we moved to the opposite corner of the Enoteca, gathering around a table to be served a selection of pasta that tasted as good as something your grandma could cook—washed down with a bottle of Cotti’s very own red Barbaresco.
We certainly didn’t restrain ourselves, but after all, what’s better than enjoying a great meal together with friends? We did, however, feel a little guilty; thankfully, though, the afternoon held an appropriate follow up activity to our lucullian lunch, one that involved one of Milan’s most beloved shops.
Sitting at 71, Corso Garibaldi, behind a timeless window framed in red and crowned by a hand-painted sign spelling the name of the store in elegantly ornate capital letters, Rossignoli is nothing short of an institution. Ever since its opening in 1900, the workshop has sold all types of bicycles and cycling-related goods to the city, to the point of becoming basically synonymous with bicycle to every true Milanese.
Waiting for us were two nimble Montenapo, their stripped down, singlespeed model, and a Garibaldi 71, their most elegant bike, named after the shop’s historic address.
We left Rossignoli and the lively Corso Garibaldi, cut across Parco Sempione, and after a quick stop to drink at a Vedovella, the iconic green fountains spread across the city, we explored the neighborhood around Piazza Tommaseo, where quiet residential streets are lined with some of the city’s most exquisite private homes, and century-old trees cast their shadows on mosaic-clad facades and neatly trimmed gardens.
After that, we headed towards the Navigli, the two artificial canals that, by extension, give name to one of Milan’s liveliest neighborhoods. Originally excavated during the middle ages to facilitate the commerce in and out of the city, and later refined by several engineers including Leonardo Da Vinci, the Navigli are now the background for scenic cycle routes linking Milan to Pavia and Abbiategrasso, cutting through quiet fields and passing by ancient farmhouses—cascine, in Italian.
Alongside the Naviglio Pavese we pointed south, curious to see where the road would take us and what we could discover within a riding range from the city. As it turned out, a lot: soon enough, the modern, bustling center leaves space to quieter residential areas where buildings clearly show their past as warehouses and light factories, conveniently located by the water. Old wrought iron bridges link the two sides of the canal, crossing the water as it slowly flows southwards and away from Milan. After a little more, houses become a somewhat rarer sight, and fields become prevalent. The noise of cars, scooters and horns fades away, replaced by birds and crickets.
We pedaled and chatted, stopping from time to time when something caught our attention, and we could have easily pedaled all the way to Pavia (which, to be fair, sits a mere 30 kilometers away…), but we eventually had to turn back as sunset was approaching. If the ride southwards had been surprising for the nature surrounding the Naviglio, making our way back north allowed us to catch the view of the Velasca Tower starkly contrasting against the snowy Alps in the distance, all framed by the tall trees lining the path.
Before we even knew it, our two days together were almost over, and only one dinner remained. We knew to seal such a great time it’d better be a good one, so we had booked a table in one of the most interesting new venues in town—Hi-Fi bar Mogo.
Recently opened in the up-and-coming Scalo Farini district, an old railway node soon to become a vast public park, the bar has a distinct industrial vibe, elegantly balanced by a contemporary boiserie in stained plywood lined with an eclectically curated vinyl selection spanning all musical genres and eras.
A world-class hi-fi system takes up an entire wall, and in the words of the owner Matteo “Music is not just the background, but an integral part of the dining experience.”
Before sitting down, we lined up at the counter for a round of drinks: classics, like a flawlessly executed Martini and a tasty Americano, and signatures—including a twist on the Negroni mixed with a kaleidoscopic, amphora-aged Georgian vermouth. The seasoned and skilled barmen hit all the right spots with their creations, and made us crave dinner, which came in the form of bite-sized plates to share.
Just like the vinyls on the walls, plates in the menu bring together inspirations and flavours from all corners of the world, making for an unexpected, punchy, and ultimately very, very tasty experience.
Probably, no other place or menu could have been better to wrap our time together. As we had once again learned over two brief but intense days, in Milan history intertwines with the future, and local tradition blends with international influences, creating a dynamic mix where bustling energy and an appreciation for slower moments coexist with ease—exactly like a Miles Davis record spinning right after Fatboy Slim, as the lights grow dimmer and we raise another drink for our last toast together.
