When my wife and I travel in Europe, we tend to focus each trip on a small region. Generally we visit one or two major cities, each for 5-7 days including day trips into the countryside. Also, if our schedule allows and we find one of interest, we will go on a food tour in the cities we’re visiting.
When we visited Milan this past fall, we enjoyed a very fine food tour. Our guide was Paulo, a professional guide who works for different companies around the city of Milan. Our particular tour was focused on the city’s popular Brera neighborhood. He did a great job guiding us through sights in Brera and explaining the city’s food cultural traditions and dishes.
Fresh pasta at Pattini’s, Milan
Our first stop was at a very busy bakery/cafe known as Pattini, which is famous for it’s fresh foods and baked goods. As you can see from the following photos, their selection is most tempting — the fresh pasta was of greatest interest to me as great pasta is my favorite food. Our food sampling at Pattini consisted of two different puff pastries, one filled with custard and the other chocolate. Both melted in our mouths.
Our next stop was at a deli known as Rossi and Grassi. Their food counter simply beautiful. It would have been fine with me if we’d settled in and finished the food tour right there. Take a look at some of the good stuff they sell!
Milan Food Tour, Brera neighborhood, Rossi and Grassi, Salumieri
The chap above is slicing two year old parma ham and cheese, which is what our tour wanted us to enjoy from this establishment. That, along with fresh bread and a glass of good Italian beer made for a nice stop.
We were off again to a Trattoria known as C’era Una Volta. Here we enjoyed a plate of risotto milanese, a heavier dish made with rice and saffron. It is traditional Milanese food that you’ll see at restaurants all around the city.
Risotto Milanese at C’era Una Volta. Milan
Our visit here was brief and soon we were off, the next stop being a nice bar known as Bar Ted-One Cafe, where we settled in for over a half an hour. Each of us was given a very popular Milanese drink known as a “spritz”, made with a bitter orange liquor, prosecco wine and soda water (a rather odd tasting drink that I didn’t enjoy), as well as a olives, chips, carrot sticks and pizza. Typical bar food.
A “Spritz” and snacks, Bar Ted One Cafe
Unfortunately I didn’t catch the name of our next stop, but it specialized in warm food items for takeout, all of which looked so very tempting!
Amazing meatballs, Milan Food Tour
We were given some lasagna and two types of meatballs — again, everything was simply wonderful! The lasagna was among the best I’ve ever tasted.
Our next stop was Enoteca Cotti, a lovely wine shop I’ve previously shared with you. Besides a tour of the establishment, we enjoyed a very pleasant glass of their label red wine.
For dessert, what better way to end a food tour in Italy than with a stop at a gelato shop.
Gelato, Tasta Gelato Naturale, MIlan
At the end of it all, we were pleasantly stuffed. An excellent and recommended experience when visiting Milan! It is run by Italy City Food tours. (Note: The author paid his own way — his opinion was not for sale).
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