Milan, the world capital of design, has much more to offer than its exclusive Via della Spiga and Via Monte Napoleone, where fashion victims and models air kiss and live off froth. Beyond the historical Duomo, beyond the boho-chic Brera, the southern district of Chiesa Rossa - ensconced between Porta Ticinese, Porta Genova, the canals and the art deco former central electric on Via Giovanni da Cermenate – was once home to factory workers, but is now where young designers dream up the shapes of the future.
Our guide was born and bred in Chiesa Rossa - film director and photographer Marina Spada, former assistant to actor, comedian, screenwriter and director Roberto Benigni, who garnered international awards for Come l'Ombra, her 2006 film which takes place over a summer in Milan.
1. Design at SuperStudio
Twenty-six years ago, Italian fashion photographer Fabrizio Ferri and fashion editor Flavio Lucchini decided to convert the disused factories and warehouses off the Via Tortona into a place to train aspiring fashion photographers. "Their initiative really started the conversion of the area which until then was still considered an industrial suburb," says Spada. During the 90s, Ferri and Lucchini opened 19 studios. Soon after, Armani asked Japanese architect Tadao Ando to transform the former Nestlé building into his new headquarters. Today, SuperStudio offers some of the best fashion photographic studios and sets in the world. However, the area has retained its 20th-century industrial and artisan spirit; via Tortona, via Forcella and via Savona are worth a long détour. SuperStudio organises fashion and design events, art shows and concerts all year long.
• Via Forcella, 13-17; superstudiogroup.com.
2. Forma
Opened only five years ago in a disused tramway warehouse, this international centre for photography is the first of its kind in Milan to offer a print lab, an exhibition space, a school, a bookshop and a restaurant. "Located on a former cemetery, it has a special atmosphere and is full of art students," says Spada. "I also love taking a peek at the nearby tramway depot through the big glass windows on the terrace." Until 2 June, there is an exhibition of Paolo Morello's vintage prints covering the history of Italian photography from the post war years through to the mid 1970s.
• Piazza Tito Lucrezio Caro, 1, formafoto.it; admission: €7.50 (£6.70).
3. Café Divan
Launched exactly a year ago, Café Divan offers freshly baked brioches, panini and soup, which will keep you going while you surf the web for free surrounded by black candelabras and white stucco, black lacquered tables and giant white sofas. "It may look extremely sleek, but the atmosphere is very relaxed" says Spada. "More than the décor, I come for their food which is very fresh, and prepared and cooked on the premises."
• Via Vigevano, 33; cafedivan.it.
4. Mercato Comunale
"This covered market is a miracle," says Spada. "I go there often just to see something that may be natural in France or Britain but feels revolutionary here in the land of Berlusconi: old local ladies sharing recipes and jokes with South American grocers." Open Monday to Saturdays, this 1940s public market with its traditional Italian butchers and newly-arrived Peruvian and Argentinean grocers is a lively, colourful and aromatic meeting point for Milanese of all ages, right by the canals at Porta Ticinese.
• Piazza XXIV Maggio.
5. Le Trottoir
This 400-year-old gate house where visitors had to pay to enter the city now offers drinks and all-night music at weekends. Conceived as a meeting point for artists, it is located in the middle of Piazza XXIV Maggio. It's spread over three levels, and has a grotto-esque feel thanks to its candle-lit bar and its many little salons all connected to each other through little corridors. It also has a terrace for daytime coffee. Le Trottoir organises cultural events throughout the year.
• Piazza XXIV Maggio, 1; letrottoir.it.
6. La Darsena canals
"The canals give Milan the charm and warmth it may lack at first sight, especially for first-time visitors," says Spada. Designed by Leonardo da Vinci then redesigned by Mussolini's architects in the 1920s, they offer an exquisite respite from the frantic pace of Milanese life. Lined with art galleries, cafés and bars, Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese are also famous for their boat-restaurants and mini-cruises (€12 for an hour cruise, running every hour from Friday to Sunday). Also, every year, since the 1930s, 11 teams compete on racing boats to win the Leonardo Trophy (8 and 9 May).
• naviglilombardi.it.
7. Gelateria di Ripa di Porta Ticinese
The walls of this compact antiquated shop are covered with wooden and glass cabinets displaying hundreds of rows of ice-cream cones turned upside down. Located right at the angle with Via Gorizia, and facing Naviglio Grande, it has a wooden bench outside with a view on to the canal. "My parents used to come here when they were teenagers during the war," says Spada. "Many shops around here haven't changed at all since the 1920s, sometimes earlier." If you're wondering what the Italians call "English soup" (zuppa inglese), it's trifle, and it's delicious. "They also do Nutella pancakes," adds Spada.
• Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 1; Two scoops: €3.
8. Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro
Milan's answer to Tate Modern is located in a former 1926 turbine hall. The museum, which bears the name of the great Italian sculptor, Arnaldo Pomodoro, opened its doors in September 2005 and is primarily dedicated to sculpture. The Fondazione welcomes guest curators and cross-disciplinary arts and there are exhibitions all year round, as well as events and concerts. Currently showing is Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias' poetic sculptures. "I love what architect Pier Luigi Cerri did with the space of this former electric factory," comments Marina Spada, "it's so full of energy. I never know if it's the art or the ghost of electricity."
• Via Andrea Solari, 35; fondazionearnaldopomodoro.it. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 6pm. Admission: €8.
9. Il Libraccio
With a permanent 50% off tag, Il Libraccio offers the best book bargains in town and the secondhand section extends to another shop opposite. Don't miss the art and architecture section with more than 5,000 titles, among them small publishers' books. Il Libraccio has a foreign language section and very helpful assistants. Discreet browsing is also allowed and made possible in the bookshop's large alleys. Il Libraccio at number 2, on Naviglio Grande, is dedicated to books at €2. You can also sell your books there.
• Naviglio Grande, 2 and Via Corsico, 9; libraccio.it
10. Villa Necchi
This place is outside the Chiesa Rossa, but it's worth the detour. Built between 1932 and 1935 by Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi, Villa Necchi has been left unchanged since then. Bequeathed to the Italian National Trust a few years ago, it tells the story of a rich family who, on returning to their villa after the war, decided to embellish it with rococo and neo-renaissance additions. A clash of powerful styles makes for an unforgettable experience. Don't miss the black bathroom in the guests' apartments on the first floor, the impeccably art-deco butler's tea-room and the framed autographed pictures of Europe's royalties who often stayed here as family friends.
• Villa Mozart, 14; casemuseomilano.it. Admission: €8 (with a free 75-minute guided tour).
• Milan Design Fair runs 14-19 April, 2010.
