milano amore mio

ciao a tutti! it's been a minute and i'm sorry about that! this end to my school year and the start of summer has been so hectic, but so much fun. I moved out of my apartment at school, came home, got ready for my milan trip, went to oregon to watch my brother graduate from college, came back home for a night, and flew out to milan the next day. this all happened within the span of 5 days, so i was a bit scrambled but it was a moment of a lot of milestones and good change.

if you know me, you know that being away from home is a bit difficult (hence the elementary school katerina who had to sit with eleni and her friends every day at lunch). i was honestly indifferent about coming at first, i had no time to worry really, i was taking finals and watching graduations, so i got on the plane and that was it. it was good for me though because i am a huge over-thinker and distraction makes the brain go quiet.

brief overview of some key things

the lifestyle here in milan is just wonderful. the energy, the atmosphere, and the way that people live is exactly how i like, they drink a lot of coffee, the diet consists of patries and pasta, have gelato every day, eat dinner as late as 11, and go out until 5 am. this just makes so much sense, it's superior to the usa lifestyle.

the coffees cost 1,50 euros which is insane to me because i literally have spent 8+ dollars on a coffee in la. i was totally baffled by this because it is insane but i did some sleuthing and i learned that there has been a fixed price placed on espresso in italy for more than a hundred years, isn't that insane. and that concludes why i love italy... just kidding.

okay a rough timeline, i landed in milan on wednesday june 15, at 10 pm and my first day of italian class was thursday. i walked to class with my roommate and another girl in the program who lives in my building and i was sweating so profusely it was so gross. the average temperature of my time in milan was about 93 degrees the whole time. which is about 33 degrees in celsius. thank god i adjusted though because by the end of my stay, existing was much easier. anyways back to what i was saying, i tested out of the first level, the level students in my program were in, because i had already studied italian, and so i had to go to a different class in the morning while all my friends went in the afternoon. it was sorta sad, but we spend a lot of time doing other things, so it was ok, and i learned a ton. my teacher was absolutely amazing, she seriously made me love milan even more. i never thought i would learn so much in so little time, but by the end of the trip i was way more confident speaking italian.

my schedule was pretty hectic but i'll give you the breakdown:

b9 (bus) to class

italian class 9 to 12:15

eat, and rush to the metro to get to work

work from 1:30 to 6:30

take the metro home:)

get home at 7/7:30 (depending on various elements)

at nights i would try and do as much as i could to soak up the full milanese lifestyle and culture, but sometimes i was absolutely slumped i couldn't even do anything besides eat lol.

the food

i ate pretty much any and all things. the food is absolutely unmatched. the us doesn't hold a candle to the quality and taste of italian food. it was super weird to think about because i spoke with many people during my time in milan about this very thing and it is a known fact that the united states's food quality is a joke. we do not prioritize making the best, we prioritize efficiency and quality is ignored. it makes me sad, i used ot be super into the meat industry because i watched a documentary in middle school about it (i forget what it is called now oops), but i remember i was so horrified and sad to learn all of the corruption that is within literally every aspect of every industry. idk didn't want to go on a tangent about this, but i guess i'm pretty good at that so not surprised. the bars are so cute! there's at least one on every single block, they are cafe's during the day, they sell croissants, pastries, focaccia, and of course espresso, and then become bars (in the american sense) at night. anyways, some of the best food i had was:

pavè

i did not know what a good croissant was until i tried this, wow. they are the best rated cafe in milan and i completely agree. the pastries are absolutely stunning and amazing. the food is out of this world amazing. the first time i went i got a regular nutella croissant and my taste buds were changed forever, it was insanely flakey and buttery and soft. it was to die for. the second time i went, i got a caprese salad which was phenomenal, and tried the pistachio, raspberry jam and white chocolate tonka flavoured mousse and holy sh*t. i am not one to lie pastries or sweets other than chocolate, but this was one of the best things i've ever tasted. it was so creamy and sweet and the crust was the perfect flakiness.

osteria tajoli

this restaurant is a must visit in milan. it's totally a locals place to eat because everyone that was there was only speaking italian and i don't know how to explain it, but i just knew that no one was a tourist. it was so cool. the food was traditional milan cuisine. i tried the saffron risotto and these vegetable meatballs (which were literally addictive, i dream about them). i also had the vegetarian pasta which was wonderful. i am usually not into veggies in pasta, but this was unlike no other, it was light, tasty, and the cheese was perfect. it is located along the corso lodi right by the fondazione prada museum. the spot is super cool and along the water. i will say, the mosquitoes are out for blood, literally. they are crazy in milan, but especially here since it's along the river. i a hundred percent recommend.

piz

a pizza place nestled between a church and the shopping along the main strip leading up to the duomo. the restaurant seating is either outside with or in the downstairs of the restaurant. i recommend sitting in the downstairs because it is keith haring themed. the walls are yellow and are decorated with figures all over the walls and roof, it is so cool. the pizza is phenomenal as well. there are only three pizzas on the menu and a daily special, and i think that this is always a sign of a good restaurant because this shows they have mastered the few items that they have. i went three times, which is saying a lot because it means i did truly like it because i feel like i have really good taste of where to eat, what to eat, and what's the best. i usually get the una bella margherita, which is the perfect margherita, the mother of all margherita's. last time i split the delicata bianca special which was amazing, and have tried a slice of the una gustosa marinara, which was great. i have tried the special one of my visits too which was to die for.

osteria il melograno

this place i stumbled upon accidentally and i am so glad i did. i went here with my parents and they loved it too. this place reminds me of why i love food and restaurants in italy. the owners are always working, it's not like in the us where the owner is usually nowhere to be found, the people who own the restaurants are proud and always there. the restaurant owners were working when we walked in for lunch and the wife was our server. she was so sweet and i knew that i was going to love the food as soon as she greeted us. she went over the whole menu with us and explained in detail each and every dish and recommended us dishes to try. she talked about how they were from the south and how a lot of the cuisine is a specialty from their town in the south. i had the vegetarian pasta with tomatoes and buffala mozzarella and it was to die for. the pasta was perfectly cooked and the dish was so simple but the flavor was incredible. for appetizers, my parents and i shared the grilled veggies and prosciutto plater and it was scrumptious.

papa francesco's

tourist trap-y, but for valid reason. this restaurant is located on the back side of the galleria vittorio emanuele II. this restaurant is so sweet. papa is always sitting there, spirits high, and is always ready to put on a show. he has his signature dish which is a penne cooked in a huge wheel of parmigiano reggiano in front of you. you know he's about to do his show when you hear "it's now or never" by elvis presley come on the stereo. papa belts out all the lyrics and dances as he prepares the dish in it's final stages and serves the lucky customer. papa's is such a sweet place and a comfort. you need to give papa's a try if you visit milan.

long song books & café

this is such a cute spot. i was trying to find a late night place for me to do work and this one caught my eye. located in porta venezia, this cafe has food, drinks, coffee, and of course, books. they are open till 12 am each day which i love because i am a night owl, and the atmosphere is amazing. the walls are lined with shelves and books fill them all the way up to the roof. the people that work there are so sweet and you can tell that they just love their restaurant. i went twice, and each time i got the meat and cheese board, which was amazing. i also tried the hugo which is my new go to favorite drink. if you like cafe's and are looking for a great place to sit, read, and enjoy some good food. this is the spot.

the food made me fall in love. i visited some other cities too and i will talk about those grubs and favorite things next time:)