OCCUPATION: Fashion designer
MY STYLE: Conceptual, sexy, very feminine. I like to mix vintage and new trendier pieces, and always wear high heels. My house is a mixture of art deco with a few Fluo design pieces.
I LIVE MILAN BECAUSE: Milan is the most international city in Italy so it offers good vibes from all over the world, but at the same time it’s still a cozy Italian city, meaning every neighborhood is like a small village where you know everybody and where my son can grow up feeling safe.
Giardini del PAC
Hidden behind the Contemporary Art Pavillion, which organizes international contemporary exhibitions, Giardini Del PAC is the ideal inner city getaway. Perfect for solace-seeking adults and stir-crazy kids who’ve just done some heavy culture viewing, the park is a serene natural escape with touches of city life. A lake attracts ducks and wildlife, while babblings creeks and exotic plant life make an oasis-like scene. The park also features a surrealist sculpture of a free-standing door frame, plus top-notch people watching of fellow in-the-know art enthusiasts. Ilaria Boschetti loves to come here with son, Gregorio. “He loves the swing and the slide,” she says, calling the park, “a real peaceful oasis in the heart of Milan.”
Centro Sportivo San Carlo
This sports center in the heart of Milan was built for students of the university, but is also a go-to place for active moms and their kids. The club offers the usual equipment and classes, along with specialized ones that include services for aquatic kids and even newborns. Ilaria Boschetti says of a baby swim class,“The swimming pool is small, warm, and full of toys. The teacher is so funny and sweet and Gregorio loves her and all of his baby swimmer friends.” A one-stop health experience, The Centro Sportivo San Carlo is fitness for the whole family.
Pane e Acqua
Critics and customers rave about this slow-food gem in an art gallery setting. The cozy restaurant, formerly an old tobacco shop, was designed by the award-winning Milanese architect Paola Navone, who is known for work highly attuned to the changing urban environment. Ilaria Boschetti describes the space as “an innovative coffee restaurant where the décor periodically changes and everything is shop-able,” including the art on the walls and the chairs at the tables. (If you’re still hungry for good design, stop by Spazio Rossana Orlandi, located right next door.) She finds the food to be “creative and very sophisticated.” Despite its name, you can expect much more than pane e acqua (bread and water) from local celebrity chef Francesco Passalacqua. His constantly changing menu includes Mediterranean-inspired twists on classic Milanese cuisine.
Maison Moschino
The stylish Maison Moschino hotel immerses its guests in the world of design. Guests sleep in 65 unique fairy-tale inspired spaces, and none of them alike. One boasts a bed of roses and another a luxurious attic, which is an all-white room stocked with mysterious boxes. Surreal as it is special, the hotel was designed by the Moschino creative team out of a historic railroad station. The space was transformed to make visitors feel like they’re “falling down the rabbit hole; after a while, [they] come to expect the unexpected,” says the hotel’s website. It all stars with the lobby’s welcome bar, which features drinks described as “dream-like.” Ilaria Boschetti recommends visiting even if you don’t want to sleep there.
Hotel Principe di Savoia
With spacious, well-lit rooms and elegant, well-worn décor in dark wood and opulent fabrics, Hotel De Savoia is classic Italian luxury at its best. In addition to a palatial atmosphere, this hotel boasts sophisticated Milanese dining and the city’s “most exclusive health club.” There’s also a skilled staff that never fails to learn a guest’s name, making its scores of faithful fans feel at ease. In face, the elegance found at Principe Di Savoia is never too stuffy or old-fashioned: “During fashion week you’ll find models, stylists, and photographers in the small disco inside the lounge bar,” Ilaria Boschetti notes, “It has the greatest young vibe of all Milan’s hotels.” Located just minutes from Milan’s best shopping district, this hotel is any urbane mom’s ideal home away from home.