Shop and Eat: the Best All-in-one Spots in the City Centre

If you want to end a tour of the centre of Milan with a break just a few steps from the Duomo, Rinascente is your go-to destination. This prestigious department store’s 10 floors offer a sophisticated selection of beauty products and cosmetics, including spaces where you can indulge in customized consultations and makeup sessions, shopping for both him and her, with a choice of the most iconic international brands and ready-to-wear collections, shoes, accessories furnishings and homeware. There’s also an entire floor, featuring a panoramic terrace with a view over the spires of the cathedral, dedicated to dining. This space, offering a wide choice of informal eateries and gourmet restaurants, is also a great place to purchase edible local and international souvenirs to take home with you. Lovers of design can indulge in a break at the Design Supermarket on the basement floor, which features numerous creations by big-name brands including Kartell, Alessi and Pantone

You might think you know everything there is to know about Starbucks, but the ‘Reserve Roastery’ concept is well worth discovering. Head towards Piazza Cordusio where you’ll find the Starbucks Reserve™ Roastery, the first Italian store of the American coffee giant established in Milan in partnership with artisanal bakery and pastry shop, Princi. In addition to sampling numerous coffee-based options, accompanied by an array of tantalizing sweet and savoury delicacies, you can treat yourself to a cocktail or an aperitivo at the Arriviamo Bar, or purchase rare and exotic Reserve coffee varieties from all over the world, toasted in the Milanese roastery. For a cultural break with a unique flavour, you can also learn all the secrets of coffee production. The Roastery also offers a co-working space where, in perfect New York-style, you can work on your laptop before returning to your hotel.

Apropos coffee, this time infused with a wholly Italian essence, illy Caffè Monte Napoleone is a go-to destination for breakfast, a quick lunch, a snack, or an aperitivo. In addition to a cup of coffee or a cappuccino, you can treat yourself to one of its tantalizing specialties or seasonal dishes, while seated comfortably on its patio. You can also purchase an illy coffee machine, or a set of the illy Art Collection espresso cups designed in partnership with well-known international designers, including Ron Arad or Matteo Attruia. The store also sells a variety of premium coffee blends.

An absolute ‘must’ for fans of home décor and crystal creations is a visit to Baccarat, located just a little further on, in via Montenapoleone. Situated behind an inner courtyard, the Baccarat Boutique, Bbar, Lounge welcomes guests in a multi-functional, two-floor space comprising a boutique, where you can purchase tableware, including the brand’s distinctive crystal stemware, jewellery, accessories and lamps, which can be customized and delivered worldwide, plus a small bar for breakfast or gourmet breaks, and a lounge. Here, amidst frescoes by Alexander Benjamin Navet, you can enjoy a selection of signature cocktails inspired by the vibrancy of Milan, sample a tantalizing lunch special, or order a drink – created especially for you by the locale’s barman in a baccarat glass of your choice.