We all love our hometowns, but not all of us have the honor of hailing from Milan. And Giorgio Armani is one such native that has a deep affection for the fashionable city. In the latest edition of Condé Nast Traveler, the Italian designer pens a love letter to the city, recalling the style, attitude and history of the metropolis that has captured his heart. Posed on the cover, sitting in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the designer is as much an icon of the Italian destination as the shopping arcade is in which he’s photographed. In his cover story, entitled My Own Milan, he discusses his favorite haunts, including, of course, the Emporio Armani Caffè.
“It is, at least for me, an ideal place to live and work, without the drawbacks of a megalopolis and with the advantages of a metropolis. Milan has always conveyed to me a sense of order, respect, honesty that—I think—has been reflected in my style,” said Armani as reported by WWD. “I keep on choosing it because it is concrete, dynamic, ever-changing, a city that lives and lets live. It is also respectable, because—without any parochialism—it is the only place in Italy where you can breathe Europe, gaining respect from all over the world because it is considered the symbol of Italian seriousness, activeness and productivity.”
For those planning a trip to the Italian city, Armani makes several sightseeing suggestions including the artistic Brera neighborhood; the Museo Poldi Pezzoli house museum; Castello Sforzesco; the University of Milan; La Libreria del Mare, a bookstore focused on oceanic-themed literature; the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro; Cinema Ante; and the Drogheria Parini 1915, an underground eatery—one of Armani’s favorite places to dine.
