The best things to do in Venice, Florence, and Milan for a luxurious experience
From art appreciation and shopping, to dining and soaking in the culture, there's something for everyone.
The silver lining to the pandemic that devastated Northern Italy during its first wave is that the country’s most tourist-packed cities rethought crowd control—whether by reducing the number of mega cruise ships disgorging day trippers into Venice or preventing mile-long lines in Florence by moving masterpieces from the Uffizi Gallery to sites across Tuscany. Along with Milan, these cities now belong as much to the locals as they do to visitors, making your next trip full of discovery and charm.
FLORENCE
Stay at Il Tornabuoni Hotel. This sumptuous ode to the Renaissance boasts 62 rooms, each swathed in a heavy palette of jewel tones, velvet, and passementerie. Beautify at Santa Maria Novella, an 800-year-old apothecary whose antique cabinet shelves are lined with hundreds of botanical products. Stock up on tableware at Ginori 1735, one of the oldest porcelain manufacturers in Europe, which Gucci bought and revived in 2013 and features designs by Luke Edward Hall and Off-White. Marvel at the hand-embroidered nightgowns and linens at Loretta Caponi, a fashion editor favourite. Refuel with a simple Tuscan meal (try the ribollita and Florentine steak) at the Trattoria Cammillo.
VENICE
There’s no shortage of grand hotels in Venice (the Gritti Palace, Hotel Cipriani, Hotel Danieli), but these more intimate newcomers are worth a try. Check out the 32-room Il Palazzo Experimental, located in a revamped Renaissance palace on the Giudecca Canal, which also has an outpost of Paris’s popular Experimental Cocktail Club (perfect for a late-afternoon aperitivo), or Ca’ di Dio, a former shelter for religious pilgrims that has been given a modernist makeover by Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola. Take in art at the Venice Biennale or at London gallerist Victoria Miro’s new spot in San Marco.
MILAN
A visit to the country’s fashion capital wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade for your Prada, Gucci, and Armani fix. (Conveniently, the 89-room Galleria Vik Milano hotel, with its incredible art collection that includes one of Rodin’s Thinker sculptures, is there too.) Add the recently opened La DoubleJ boutique to the itinerary and peruse the label’s exuberant prints, emblazoned on everything from cocktail dresses to cocktail napkins. (The shop also has a “sacred grotto” downstairs for wellness workshops.) Grab a bite at Meta, a culinary collective in Zona Risorgimento, which offers five dining options courtesy of chefs like the Michelin-starred Pino Cuttaia.
This piece originally appeared in the March 2022 print edition of Harper's USA.
