Milan

A serene retreat inside a former convent at the heart of the fashion district, built around a peaceful cloistered courtyard. A polished base for a Monte Napoleone spree.

A sumptuously restored former seminary turned hotel, with generous suites and a courtyard that draws the city's well-heeled. Good for a long lunch even if you're not checking in.

A grand old dame near Milano Centrale, all marble, chandeliers and unhurried service. Choose a terrace room and let the city's bustle stay firmly outside.

A 19th-century holdout where regulars keep their usual table and the kitchen sticks to Lombard classics. Order the breaded veal or ossobuco and settle in.

The original of a now-global seafood name, still serving impeccably fresh fish in a buzzy Navigli room. Service is sharp and the raw bar is the move.

A jewel-box pasticceria of impeccable pedigree, perfect for a morning coffee and a pastry. The historic Santa Maria alla Porta room is the prettiest.

A 1930s Milanese institution, recently restored, that shuttles between Italian classics and American comfort from morning to night. Elegant and easygoing in equal measure.

A beautifully appointed two-floor flagship in the Galleria, all Italian walnut and marble. The clothes are the draw but the interiors are half the pleasure.

The house at its most Milanese, in a jewel of a Galleria store dressed in marble and mahogany. Worth a look even if you're only window-shopping.

A menswear group built on doing single garments exceptionally well, gathered in one slick flagship. Come for perfect chinos, knitwear and shirting — and a drink at the bar.

A gloriously old-school institution, birthplace of the negroni sbagliato and a design-week magnet. Order one and join the crowd spilling onto the pavement.

A Liberty-era jewel beneath the Galleria, pouring what may be the city's finest Campari spritz amid mosaics and white-jacketed waiters. An essential Milanese ritual.

The original concept store that defined the genre, still mixing fashion, design, art and food under one roof. As much a cultural stop as a shopping one.

Rem Koolhaas's transformation of an old distillery into an arts complex of galleries, a cinema and a Wes Anderson-designed café. The architecture is as much the draw as the shows.

A sprawling three-storey design gallery from one of the city's legendary dealers, mixing Italian mid-century with contemporary names. A must for collectors and the curious alike.

A lively cultural hub in Parco Sempione, home to the Museum of Italian Design and a busy run of exhibitions and talks. There's always something on.