TRAVEL DIARY: DANA TOMIĆ HUGHES
Exploring Milan with Dana Tomić Hughes.
My annual trips to Milan for Design Week are always a whirlwind, but the mega design injection I receive from attending is always worth it.
This year, I had more time than usual, so I took the opportunity to explore the city and do some sightseeing I hadn't had the chance to do for over a decade. My itinerary took me all across the town, from morning to night, and my Alpha60 wardrobe kept me comfortable during the warm and sunny days and cold and rainy ones, too. Such is the nature of the weather in Milan in mid-April.
01
Our visit to the ever-expanding (and totally amazing) Fondazione Prada got our Milan engines revving. The permanent art exhibitions and architecture alone are worth the visit, plus we saw an excellent retrospective on Pino Pascali.
02
Alcova has become one of the unmissable events of Milan Design Week, partly due to its nomadic format, which sees the show open up previously inaccessible (or rarely accessed) venues. Last April, the event took place across two historical venues—Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi—both of them in Veredo, a town approximately an hour north of Milan.
03
There are plenty of immersive installations to visit during the week. These experiences are always some of my favourites—I love being transported to another world where the presentation and concept speak in unison with the presented product. It's my creative utopia.
04
Speaking of immersive experiences, it was a dream to return to the historic Teatro Alla Scala for an extraordinary night of opera. No matter how many times I visit, I am always so taken with the experience that it often moves me to tears (I'm a bit weird like that), especially when seated on the balcony. Squeal!
05
The unique Milanese ecosystem at 10 Corso Como, which includes the store, café, cultural space, and 3Rooms suites, has just been refreshed by the interdisciplinary agency 2050+. The project was all about creating a seamless transition between fashion, art, design, photography, dining and nature.
06
Among the series of excellent exhibitions at Triennale Milano was an homage to Alessandro Mendini's revolutionary work as an architect, designer, artist, and theorist. If you find yourself in Milan in the coming months, the exhibition is open until October 13th.
07
My climb to the top of the Duomo was well overdue, but it was so worth the wait. There may have been tears! (I told you I was weird.) The experience of standing under the flying buttresses and seeing the vista of Milan from another perspective was just fantastic.
08
Last but definitely 100% not least, we ended our trip with a visit to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Italy's oldest active shopping mall and Milan's major landmark (which sits next to the Duomo). Legend has it that if you spin around three times on the little torino with your heel positioned on a particular part of the bull between its two hind legs (ahem!) will bring you good fortune.
