It took me quite some time to decide in which part of Milan I’d like to rent an apartment. All my preliminary researches made it quite clear that the hypercenter wasn’t the best best and that you had to look at neighborhoods slightly on the outside of the historic center. I didn’t want to make too extreme a choice though, and end being being in a situation where you have to cross the all town each time you want to go somewhere. That’s why the Brera quarter ended up being an obvious choice, it was still central enough and guaranteed we would have a great selection of shops, restaurants and galleries on our doorstep.
Curiously the apartments on offer on Airbnb in Milan are not very exciting, even more if you focus on a single neighborhood. I settled on Laura’s flat on Via Solferino because it looked bright and clean, but it turned out to be much more appealing in person.
It’s located in one of these very Milanese 70s buildings whose architecture is reminiscent of the 30s. Let me tell you that they have nothing to do with most of the 70s buildings we have in Paris. These ones look like they were actually built by talented architects and with the means to make every detail look good. As a result you got an apartment that’s modern in its structure (with sliding doors, high ceilings, built-in cabinets and big windows) but also delicate (the vintage furniture, the celadon details) and warm (the wood, the brass and the vegetation outside). Add to that the calm and that makes it a very pleasant place to stay.
The studio is small but very functional, with big windows that open on a green courtyard.
A wooden sliding door separates the bed area from the living room.
The bathroom looks like what was probably all the rage in Domus circa 1973. This is how the 70s looked when you had taste (and not necessary like a orange nightmare, sorry Mom and Dad).
Being in Milan means designer lamps everywhere.
Custom brass doorknob and lock on every door in the building, that nice Milanese touch.
A nice bed with a small but very nice kitchen behind the window. I might have cooked if the food available here wasn’t so damn good and we had stayed a little bit longer.
Looking at the courtyard below. Yes, autumn in Milan is extremely nice.
Natural, historic, modern: a seamless mix here!
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Note that the apartment is north of Via Pontaccio, on the less touristic side of the neighborhood, a sure way to feel like a true Milanese!
See more pictures of Milan.
Jeanne
Those handles are incredible, very unique design