The Milano Files

Send us Fan Mail Jaclyn DeGiorgio, a food and wine writer and food tour guide in Milan, shares some highlights from Salone del Mobile (aka Design Week) and then reflects on the first season of The Milanophiles. Stay tuned for season two, coming this summer!  Design Week highlights Bitossi Home collaboration with Pangea  Nemo Lighting collaboration with Ron Gilad Google's Shaped by Water   Dio...

Send us Fan Mail Jaclyn DeGiorgio shares a clip from her interview with food journalist Roberta Abate that didn't make the cut for the final interview. Dongiò Wineries mentioned: L'Acino A Vita Jaclyn's Porta Romana dining guide  If you're visiting Milan and would like to book a food tour with Jaclyn when you're in town, send her an email: jaclyndegiorgiofoodtours@gmail.co...

Send us Fan Mail If you haven't listened to Pizza Culture with Simone and Lombardi and Giovanni Mineo of Crosta part 1, please go back and do so before tuning into this one. (It's episode number 14, and it was released on March 31. Here's the link . ) We continue chatting about Milan's pizza culture and in doing so, we dispel a couple of Italy food myths that circulate like wil...

Send us Fan Mail Jaclyn speaks with Caterina Monda, co-founder of Metis PR , a Milan-based PR firm representing clients in the design industry. They chat about the meaning of "Made in Italy", what to expect during Design Week, and the allure of their adopted city, among other topics. Caterina's Instagram Metis PR Instagram Jaclyn's Blog Jaclyn's Instagram The Milanophiles...

Send us Fan Mail Marcello Rapisardi of Pasticceria e Dessert in Milan joins Jaclyn for a bonus episode to discuss Italian Easter sweets.  Relevant links: Colomba History and Origins (it's in Italian so you might have to run it through a translator)  Pastiera Wikipedia page Uovo di Pasqua   Pasticceria e Dessert Instagram   - I encourage you to check this out to see Marcello's beautiful v...

Send us Fan Mail Today Jaclyn speaks with pastry chef  Marcello Rapisardi of Pasticerria e Dessert, a whimsical pastry shop in Milan where the offerings include a mind-blowing carbonara praline and other unexpected sweets nestled alongside the classics. We speak about his time working for chefs like Heston Blumenthal and Moreno Cedroni, his philosophy, his approach to pastry, and more.  Links to a...

Send us Fan Mail Jaclyn DeGiorgio speaks with pizza and bread extraordinaires Simone Lombardi and Giovanni Mineo of Crosta , one of Milan's best pizzerias and bakeries. Here's part 1 of their conversation. They discuss whether or not there's a Milanese pizza, the history of pizza, Crosta itself, and more. Spoiler alert: In part two (coming next week), we dispel two myths about Italy...

Send us Fan Mail As cardoon season is winding down, Jaclyn discusses the elusive artichoke thistle and also shares some versions she had in Milan recently.  Il Giornale del Cibo article about why the cardo Gobbo is named as such Slow Food Foundation's page dedicated to the Cardo Gobbo di Nizza Monferrato Nizza Monferrato Wikipedia page Jaclyn's blog post about Via Melzo in Milan  Masterc...

Send us Fan Mail Jaclyn DeGiorgio has tried all five of the Starbucks drinks from the Oleato line--those infused with extra-virgin olive oil and she shares her thoughts.  Sources: Starbucks - The story behind Starbucks' new coffee ritual  Starbucks - Introducing the Oleato Jaclyn's blog: A Signorina in Milan If you're visiting Milan and would like to book a food tour with Jaclyn whe...

Send us Fan Mail Jaclyn discusses a must-eat when visiting Milan: mondeghili (Milanese meatballs).  Sources used for the episode: Contemporary Milanese Cooking by Cesare Battisti and Gabriele Zannata  Divinia.com  Cucina Regionale Italiana  Wikipedia Restaurants to try them  Ratanà Røst Frangente  Trattoria del Nuovo Macello Risoelatte Peck Antica Trattoria della Pesa Al Garghet The recipe for che...

Send us Fan Mail This week Jaclyn DeGiorgio follows-up on last week's episode with a brief update Starbucks' new Oleato line.   If you're visiting Milan and would like to book a food tour with Jaclyn when you're in town, send her an email: jaclyndegiorgiofoodtours@gmail.com Jaclyn's Instagram Jaclyn's blog: A Signorina in Milan Click here to sign up for Jaclyn's...

Send us Fan Mail Jaclyn DeGiorgio discusses Starbucks in Italy, her fondness for the coffee titan, and her thoughts on the new Oleato olive-oil range of beverages that debuted in Italy this week.  Sources for the episode: Reuters article on unemployment in Italy Euro News article on unemployment in Italy Macrotrends stats on Italy's unemployment rate WSJ article reporting on how the pandemic...

Send us Fan Mail The Sanremo Festival came and went, so Jaclyn has decided to dedicate this brief episode of The Milanophiles to her thoughts on the occasion, which plays an integral part in Italy’s contemporary lifestyle culture.  Sanremo Official website Sanremo  2023 Wikipedia Chiara Ferragni instagram   Episode photo by Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash If you're visiting Milan and would like...

Send us Fan Mail For this episode of The Milanophiles, Jaclyn DeGiorgio veers fuori strada , or off course, to discuss one of her favorite annual occasions: the Sanremo Italian Song Festival, whose 73rd edition takes place from February 7 - 11,  2023. Jaclyn's blog, A Signorina in Milan , and Instagram handle @jaclyndegiorgio Official Sanremo website Why is the Sanremo Festival so important t...

Send us Fan Mail Pastamadre restaurant is a must-visit when you're in Milan. Today, Jaclyn speaks to chef Francesco Costanzo about his beloved restaurant in the Porta Romana district. The natural wines Francesco mentions:   Tanca Nica , Pantelleria island  Arianna Occhipinti , Vittoria (Sicily)  La Stoppa , Emilia-Romagna Nino Barraco , Marsala Manfredi Franco , Marsala   What to see in Milan...

Send us Fan Mail Many people don't know that Milan has a prolific natural wine scene, one that's on par with its counterparts in big European cities like Paris, London, and Barcelona. She speaks with Alessandro Ambrosi, the owner of an enoteca called Vinello a Milano , which specializes in natural, biodynamic, and organic wines.  Here are links to the places, wines, etc., discussed: Jacl...

Send us Fan Mail Warning: as I mention in the beginning of the episode, there was a problem with my mic, so my voice sounds a bit faint at parts, but you can hear my guests perfectly: chef Cesare Battisti of the restaurant Ratanà a nd Gabriele Zanatta of Identità Golose. They co-wrote a beautiful book Cucina Milanese Contemporanea (Contemporary Milanese cooking) available in both Italian and Engli...

Send us Fan Mail Since it's winter, Jaclyn DeGiorgio discusses the Barbajada, the historic Milanese hot chocolate that's few and far between these days. Sources Milano e I Secoli blog post   Domenico Barbaja Wikipedia page  Minerva A News Tasting the World   Milano in Contemporanea Io Voce Narrante   Jaclyn's local coffee spot: Torrefazione Hodeidah Jaclyn's blog post about whe...

Send us Fan Mail Panettone features prominently in the media every holiday season, but this year Milan's signature leavened delight garnered some aberrant attention, which food writer Jaclyn DeGiorgio discusses in the episode.  Warning: she's rather upset by some of the shady practices!  Here are links to the sources cited and/or consulted for the episode.   US Department of Justice pres...

Send us Fan Mail Food writer Jaclyn DeGiorgio discusses some of her top dining experiences in Milan from the past year. Just to clarify, the list is by no means exhaustive as she set specific criteria for this episode: restaurants she either visited for the first time or those that she returned to after a significant amount of time elapsed between visits. Below are links to the restaurants  she me...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve sworn off panettone because you think it’s dry, bland, cottony, and uninspired, then you haven’t tasted good panettone, true panettone–you most likely have only had the preservative-packed industrial versions. Indeed, these sub-par iterations give Milan’s emblematic leavened treat a bad rap abroad, but good panettone has the power to convert even the most seemingly unwav...

Send us Fan Mail J aclyn DeGiorgio chats with Roberta Abate, a food journalist who has presided over the city’s food scene for the last decade from a couple of prominent editorial positions: editor of FineDiningLovers.it and editor-in-chief of Munchies Italia. This interview was recorded during Roberta's time at the latter, a role she held for five years before stepping down in November.  The...

Send us Fan Mail Milan's cheerleader-in-chief, Jaclyn DeGiorgio champions the food, beverage, and lifestyle culture of Italy's most electric (and wrongfully overlooked!) city.    If you'd like to join her for a food tour when you're in town, send her an email: jaclyndegiorgiofoodtours@gmail.com If you're visiting Milan and would like to book a food tour with Jaclyn when yo...