Gallerist Ilenia Rossi’s Guide to Milan
By Ilenia RossiLondon-based gallery Ilenia was founded last autumn by Italian gallerist Ilenia Rossi. Housed within an elegantly refurbished industrial building around the corner from Arnold Circus, Ilenia’s programme is focused on exhibiting a diverse roster of international contemporary artists — representing emerging and mid-career names — many of whom have not yet been exhibited in the UK.
On view now and open until 14 September 2024 at the east London gallery is an exhibition of paintings by Buenos Aires-born Berlin-based artist Laura Langer. On the occasion of the new show, Milan native Rossi has compiled an insider’s guide for Something Curated to her former stomping ground — spanning art, restaurants and bars, architecture, and more. The below are her words.
LUNCH
Bar Quadronno
A classic Milanese place which has stayed the same since it opened. It’s had the same logo and same wooden interiors since I went there for lunch after school as a teenager. They have an endless list of panini and the best thing is you can go for lunch or after a night out as they’re open till 2am.
Bentoteca
Not many people know this but Milan has some of the best Japanese restaurants, courtesy of the fish market, which is one of the biggest in Europe. One such place is Bentoteca, which serves Japanese dishes made with great local ingredients and accompanied by great wines.
DINNER
Nuovo Macello
I’ve recently discovered this restaurant through one of my artists and it’s one of the best places to try all the Milanese classics — noteworthy are the cotoletta and risotto alla Milanese.
Nebbia
Milan is a city that’s constantly changing and adding new places to the map — one of these is Nebbia, a great restaurant with a modern twist on Italian classics. I love the paté di fegatini on brioche bread.
PASTICCERIE / GELATERIE
Milan is the capital of the pasticcerie. We go there for breakfast, coffee after lunch, and even aperitivo.
The best are Marchesi (the original one on Corso Magenta), Pasticceria Sissi (has a lovely garden at the back), and Giovanni Galli (for marrons glacés and candied violets).
My favourite ice cream in the city is Ciacco, around the corner from Giovanni Galli.
BARS
Bar Basso
This is the place where you inevitably always end up during miart, Salone and Fashion Week. The iconic interior has stayed the same since it first opened and it’s remained everyone’s favourite bar for a negroni sbagliato, the ultimate Milanese drink which was invented there by Maurizio’s father.
Bene Bene Bar
A new bar in town, very close to Bar Basso. They have a dark interior with great art on the walls, and on the door!
WHAT TO SEE
Art
The Museo Poldi Pezzoli is a hidden gem of a museum, with an incredible collection of old master pictures, porcelain, glassware, and clocks.
Ordet is a great institution close to Fondazione Prada involved in exhibition-making, research and publishing — recent shows include P. Staff, Lydia Ourahmane, Nora Turato, Sung Tieu, and Ghislaine Leung, among many others.
MMXX.UNO is an artist-run space based in Daniele Milvio and Emanuele Marcuccio’s studio. A must-see!
Churches
Head to the Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa to see a beautiful room with skull-encrusted walls, Santa Maria presso San Satiro to see Bramante’s trompe-l’œil wall and of course Santa Maria delle Grazie to see Leonardo’s Last Supper (next door is also a hidden garden which used to be Leonardo’s vineyard — La Vigna di Leonardo).
Architecture
Milan is known for its modernist architecture, with the most notable architect being Portaluppi, who designed Villa Necchi Campiglio. You can visit the villa and have lunch or coffee in their beautiful garden café.
Another Milanese architect worthy of note is Caccia Dominioni, known for his Casa Caccia Dominioni in Piazza Sant’ Ambrogio.
Feature image: Installation view. Laura Langer, Mothers, 12 July – 14 September 2024, Ilenia, London. © Laura Langer. Courtesy of Ilenia, London and Weiss Falk, Basel, Zurich. Photo: Dominique Cro.