Friday 18 April 2014

The highlight of Milan Design Week?


We'd heard that Design Week 2014  would be a big event, especially in the Zona Tortona district, which is close to where we live.  But it was bigger and more exciting than we'd expected!
It's hard to describe just how uplifting we found the week.  It felt a little like the buzz that happened in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. People were out everywhere day and night enjoying the free displays, exhibitions and performances.
The exhibitions ranged from small-scale one or two person enterprises, like these young jewellery designers pedalling their creations around the streets, ...

to grand displays of modern designer furniture, cars, lights, fashion, homewares - anything and everything was on display, and that was just in our neighbourhood.
I thought it would be impossible to select just one highlight from all the interesting, beautiful, weird and colourful exhibitions that we visited over the week UNTIL..
we saw people milling around an unusual glass box.
It was part of the "Temporary Design Museum" on via Tortona, where we had just spent the morning.  We were on our way out, feeling a little weary and hungry, when my ever inquisitive husband said, "Let's just see what that's all about".  
Reluctantly I followed him to what appeared to be a reception desk.  San Pellegrino, the bottled water company, was hosting lunch and they'd just received a cancellation. 
Would we like to join the next group for aperitivo and lunch?  
That would be a free lunch, with free aperitivo and four courses cooked by Davide Oldane, one of Italy's most famous chefs.  Would we ever!
We learned how difficult it is to book a table at Davide Oldane's Michelin-starred restaurant from our delightful dining companions, Rodolfo and Caterina. So we savoured every mouthful and told Davide so when he stopped by to say "Ciao". 
No such thing as a free lunch? Well there is at Milan Design Week.

Buona Pasqua! 

2 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, I just love it when things like that happen!

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  2. Thanks Karen,we had a fabulous time. Now we can't wait for world Expo which starts in Milan in 1 May 2015.

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