Life & Culture in Milan: The Brera Fairytale

By DAVID GRINSFELDER | Contributing Writer

It’s 6:05 p.m. on a brilliant Tuesday evening in Milan—and I’m hopelessly late (and lost) on my way to drinks with my Finnish model friend Belinda. I’m in the midst of dodging tourists and speeding Vespas when I stumble into one of the most picturesque neighborhoods I’ve ever seen.

Recall the classic movie moment when a protagonist first comes upon a fascinating new world (á la Harry Potter when he first arrives to Hogwarts or when the visitors first arrive at Jurassic Park).

To set foot in the Brera neighborhood is to enter a real-life version of a fairytale. Lively and elegant, with a dash of quirkiness, Brera looks and feels like a relic of old Europe tucked into the center of a very modern city.

It houses an art school, historic museum-gallery and contemporary art studios, and has become the unofficial creatives’ quarter of Milan. Known as “Milan’s Greenwich Village,” it serves up just as much charm with even better food. Aperitivo bars and boutique galleries line the street, infusing Brera with a satiating blend of entertainment and sophistication.

My first steps down one of the main arteries of Brera, called Via Madonnina, are a welcome reprieve from the chaos and exhaust of downtown Milan. Balconies overflowing with green plants automatically draw my eyes upward, and building facades bathed in sunlight give the cobblestone street a warm glow.

Drinkers and diners at local tavernas spill out onto the street in classic Italian fashion, hand gestures flying about in the iconic Italian style. I savor the buzz of a hundred animated conversations happening around me and relish the feeling of being fully immersed in a typical Tuesday evening in this timeless Milanese neighborhood.

A post-work drink is a pleasant pastime anywhere, but in Milan it has a mark of distinction. The city is an international capital of the apéritif, and one finds people of all ages imbibing and snacking on appetizers in every neighborhood, every day of the week.

Because so much of Milan’s population commutes to and from the city for work, there exists an unwritten Milanese law that from 7 to 10 p.m. friends or coworkers will gather at a local osteria or enoteca to enjoy an apéritif and its essential ingredients: the cocktail, the accompanying appetizers and the warm company of people.

Variations in price, food assortment and drink selection vary in different zones of the city and one’s particular taste, but generally drinks like the negroni sbagliato (sweet vermouth, Campari and Prosecco) and the classic Aperol spritz are the headline acts of this show.

I end up paying €7 for a bellini (seasonal white peaches mixed with brut sparkling wine) and a generous plate of chips, peanuts and olives.

I get a text from Belinda. She’s running 15 minutes late, so I have a few more minutes to absorb the Brera fairytale.

Meandering further down the quaint streets, I bump into the remnants of the San Marco farmers market. Italians are fanatical about their fresh produce and vegetables. Based on my observations, our Sunday farmers market would have serious competition from its Italian counterpart.

An old man serenades the last of the market patrons and shopkeepers while a lilting tune flows from his accordion. I drop a few euros into his upturned fedora—any performance that compels me to stop and observe for a moment merits a tip.

I round a final corner to find the Basilica of San Marco, a massive Gothic-style church that stands sentinel over its piazza as evening shadows climb slowly up its facade.

For folks who opt not to sit down for their aperitivo this evening, the church is the perfect spot to relax with a drink. It’s a lively jumble of people of all ages.

And of all the sights and smells in this beautiful plaza, one in particular stands out—the undeniable miasma of cigarettes. I suppose the powerful anti-smoking ad campaigns that reduced smoking in America by 75% haven’t made as much progress in Italy.

Fortunately, a light breeze carries away most of the smell, and I’m free to enjoy this picture-perfect snapshot of life in action.

I was glad to see Belinda when she finally arrived, but would have been equally content to continue to take in the nuances of Brera.

Sometimes getting lost is the best way to discover the hidden gems of life.

David Grinsfelder is a graduate of Palisades Charter High School (2015) and UC Berkeley (2019). He currently lives in New York and Milan, Italy, working as a model and writing a series of travel stories for the Palisadian-Post. The Grinsfelders have been Highlands residents since 1989.