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Opened in the spring of 2015, this ode to all things Armani is one of the best fashion museums in the world. Housed in a minimalist concrete building, the four-floor museum is stocked with 600 items, some of which date all the way back to the brand’s founding in 1975.


Armani Silos entrance 1 at Armani/Silos, Milan, Italy - Courtesy Davide Lovatti

Armani/Silos

One of the most exciting art institutions in Milan is the foundation started in 1995 by Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli. The envelope-pushing museum opened in a Rem Koolhaus–designed space in an industrial area south of the city in the spring 2015. The transformed former distillery consists of multiple buildings and houses exhibition spaces, as well as a well-stocked bookstore and the Wes Anderson–designed <a href="https://www.indagare.com/destinations/europe/italy/milan/off-the-beaten-path-milan/restaurants/bar-luce/">Bar Luce</a>. The Tower houses nine levels, six of which are home to exhibition spaces, while the remaining three are occupied by the 84-seat Restaurant Torre and a panoramic terrace with a rooftop bar.

The foundation boasts a whopping 120,000 square-feet of exhibition space (as a comparison, New York's <a href="https://www.indagare.com/destinations/north-america/new-york_region/new-york/meapacking-chelsea/activities/the-whitney-museum/">Whitney</a> measures 220,000 square-feet). Innovative, cutting-edge, accessible and whimsical, the Fondazione is a personal testament to intellectual curiosity and the deep belief in art as communication. As the designer told The Guardian: "I grew up with the idea that art is for everybody and not a matter of private ownership. I wanted to make culture attractive to the young [so that they would see] that it is necessary to your life."

Interior View - Fondazione Prada,Milan, Italy

Fondazione Prada

Sicily's sole Michelin two-star is located in the labyrinthine Ragusa Ibla, so unless you're also staying in this Baroque town, it's best to come for lunch. The tasting menu is a lengthy affair and the dining room is not the world's most inspired place. But wonderfully named chef Ciccio Sultano, who once worked in New York's Felida, has been raising the bar on Sicilian cuisine since he opened Duomo in 2000, and he remains a much-respected culinary force on the island.

Exterior View - Duomo, Sicily, Italy

Duomo

Getting tickets to see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper–in a refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a Dominican church and convent–is something that must be arranged in advance. (Visitors are limited in time in order to protect the delicate artwork, and tickets sell out months in advance.) Given enough notice, however, most five-star hotels can arrange a VIP tour. Indagare can arrange for tours with advanced tickets as well as private viewings after hours. Members can contact our <a href="/contact">Bookings Team </a>for help organizing custom touring.

Painting at Indagare Tours: The Last Supper ,Milan, Italy

Indagare Tours: The Last Supper

Famed opera house La Scala reopened in 2004 after a three-year, nearly $100 million renovation. To see and hear a performance here is a must for opera lovers.


Exterior View-Teatro Alla Scala ,Milan, Italy

Teatro Alla Scala

See & Do

If ever there was a hotel that fully embodies the aesthetic of a fashion icon, it would be the Armani Hotel Milano. Situated atop Giorgio Armani’s flagship store, at the entrance of famed shopping street Via Montenapoleone, this hotel made a huge splash when it opened in 2011 and remains one of the most difficult to book during the high season, especially fashion week.

Its vividly personal design philosophy makes absolutely no compromises—from the overall architecture (the footprint of the hotel is in the shape of an “A”) to the smallest details (black shower caps), guests here are unmistakably in the word of Signore Armani. It's Zen, minimalist and undeniably sexy, without a single superfluous flourish or adornment—just like a perfect little black dress.

Instead of checking in on the ground floor, visitors are whisked to the seventh floor where massive window walls clad in solar-paneled blinds showcase expansive views across the rooftops of Milan, all the way towards the **<a href="https://www.indagare.com/destinations/europe/italy/milan/centro-storicohistoric-center/activities/duomo/">Duomo</a>**. The ambience is hushed, the lighting dim, and the color palate a muted mix of gold and silver, of black and red onyx. Suffice it to say that you feel like you should dress up for the hotel, and that anything other than heels won't do to catwalk down the polished black floors.

The 95 rooms and suites are located on floors two through six, so guests take an elevator down (reminiscent of hotels in Asia), then make their way through darkened hallways dotted with discreet doorways secured by touch panels. The accommodations start at a sizable 480 square-feet, and while masculine at the core, interiors maintain a sense of warmth, furnished with sensual leather, marble and raw silk dipped in neutral hues of grays, creams and browns. The furniture hails from Armani Casa, of course, and the beds in particular are extremely comfortable. Bathrooms are massive and have an Asian-bathhouse vibe, with smooth stone floors, spacious vanities and a separate bathtub and shower. Several floor-to-ceiling mirrors remind that you're staying in the house of a fashion designer (as does the lack of drawers in the room; apparently, everything in a style-maven's closet should be hung up). Some of the rooms on the sixth-floor come with balconies with vistas of the city, and the duplex Signature Suites offer either a private cinema or an in-room gym.

Public spaces are impressive, in particular the top-floor, 13,000-square-foot Armani Spa. There are six treatment rooms, a glass-enclosed relaxation pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center, but best are the white-leather relaxation loungers set in front of the window walls, surely one of the best vantage point from which to view Milan.

Armani Hotel Milano

Tucked away on a quiet residential street off of Via Monte di Pietà, the 58-room Bulgari is a serene retreat located near the best shopping of the Quadrilatero d’Oro and in walking distance to **Brera**—a design district filled with independent galleries and local cafés. Bulgari's heritage is present throughout the hotel’s public spaces, which feature sketches of vintage jewelry and portraits of the brand’s famous fans like Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. Adored by the Milanese, the Bulgari has a loyal following of high-profile professionals, celebrities and designers who favor the sleek, stylish design.

Well-known Italian designers Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, who also decorated the nearby** **<a href="https://www.indagare.com/destinations/europe/italy/milan/centro-storicohistoric-center/hotels/mandarin-oriental-milan/">Mandarin Oriental Milan</a>, blend Bulgari’s high-end aeshetic with contemporary Italian décor. Dark hallways lead to residential-styled rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and minimalist furnishings. The color scheme highlights light oak-paneled walls and floors accented with beige, taupe and rich mocha. The bathrooms are simple but grand, and most have deep stone basin tubs that overlook the garden. Amenities include Bulgari bath products, luxurious Italian linens and special touches at turndown including warm herbal tea, chocolates and lit candles.

The buzzing lounge has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the lively garden.**Il Bar** attracts a stylish crowd of locals, who mingle over aperitivo at the long onyx marble bar. In the warm weather, patrons can take advantage of the garden or **Dom Pérignon Lounge and Raw Bar** set in the back of the garden. **Il Ristorante** specializes in contemporary Italian dishes such as sea bass carpaccio and ossobuco ravioli. Once a month, the Bulgari hosts a special culinary event, Epicurea, during which an international chef collaborates on a curated tasting menu. It’s a fun dining experience that is popular with locals. The additional on-property amenities include a lovely Asian-inspired spa with La Mer products and a small but functional gym.

Lobby at Bulgari Hotel Milan, Milan, Italy

Bulgari Hotel Milano

Currently celebrating its twentieth anniversary as a hotel, the Four Seasons Milan, housed in a former fifteenth-century convent, now boasts sixty-seven guest rooms and fifty-one suites, the notable La Veranda restaurant and, of course, the signature level of service that the Four Seasons brand embodies.

Lounge with patio at Four Seasons Hotel Milano, Milan, Italy

Four Seasons Milan

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Described by poet William Wordsworth as a “treasure whom the earth keeps to herself,” Lake Como is the center of a region that’s both wild and civilized, decadent and low-key, enormous and intimate.

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Lake Como

Quiet but powerful, crumbling yet proud, Venice continues to cast a captivating spell. The moment your water taxi turns into the Grand Canal and the faded, pastel-colored palazzi rise from the lagoon like pillars of another era is always breathtaking, whether it’s your first or 15th visit to Italy's fabled city.

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Venice

Fine wine, unforgettable dining, long summer days on the sea, hiking among lush flora and fauna and elegant coastal hotels where glamorous international travelers summer each year define the picturesque port town of Portofino. Located on Italy’s northwest coast, between the Ligurian capital of Genoa and the towns of Cinque Terre, Portofino is an idyllic seaside village on a peninsula that encapsulates the true Italian Riviera.

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Portofino

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