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MILAN

Aperitivo with a view: Six of Milan’s best rooftop bars

The aperitivo is something of a sacred ritual in Milan and there may be no better way to enjoy it than from one of the city’s popular rooftop bars.

Published: 3 August 2023 14:56 CEST
Updated: 3 September 2023 14:28 CEST
Milan: aerial view at sunset
Milan’s rooftop bars are the perfect place to grab an aperitivo and wind down after a busy day. Photo by Matteo Raimondi on Unsplash

Much like most other metropolises in the world, Milan can be very chaotic during the day, with people frantically scrambling on and off public transport to get to their work appointments in time and crowds of visitors moving en masse from one popular local attraction to the other.

But, while daytime life in the city can be incredibly hectic, time seems to slow down in the early evening, as most people sotto la Madonnina head to their favourite bar and wind down over an aperitivo. 

And, though Milan’s streets have no shortage of bars, you may find there’s no better way to enjoy an aperitivo in the city than from one of its rooftops, which allow customers to sip on their cocktail of choice as the city below is bathed in golden sunset light.

Terrazza 12

Perched atop the Bryan&Barry Building at the heart of the San Babila district, Terrazza 12 is a household name in the northern capital as it offers one of the most unique views of the city centre. 

READ ALSO: Six ‘secret’ places in Milan you need to visit

Openly inspired by New York-style rooftop bars, it combines a lounge bar serving carefully crafted cocktails with a wide selection of finger food and small bites.

Quite conveniently, should you wish to stay for dinner, the floor right below the rooftop bar is home to a high-end Mediterranean cuisine restaurant.

Ceresio 7

Often credited as revolutionising the Milanese rooftop bar scene, Ceresio 7 is a luxurious venue in the Porta Garibaldi district offering a full 360-degree view of the city’s skyline. 

It has two swimming pools complemented by lounge chairs and cabanas, an American-inspired lounge bar and both interior and exterior dining areas.

You can expect fine mixology cocktails, first-class bites and top-notch service – but prices will not suit every pocket (bites are generally between 15 and 25 euros, while cocktails are nearly always over 20 euros).

SunEleven Rooftop

Located on the top floor of the IH Hotel Milano Ambasciatori, which sits just a few steps away from the iconic Duomo, SunEleven Rooftop is a more casual but equally stylish venue. 

The bar is well known locally for its LED signs, soft outdoor lights and the pastel colours of its furniture. 

The menu features a wide selection of cocktails, craft beers and tapas.

La Rinascente Rooftop

High-end department store La Rinascente, in the central Piazza del Duomo, boasts one of, if not the most popular rooftop in the city.

Here the spires and pinnacles of the Duomo cathedral are so close that they sometimes look to be within reach.

The Rinascente rooftop is home to a number of venues, which offer slightly different vistas based on their position relative to the Duomo. Il Bar, a stylish cocktail bar and cafè, is generally considered one of the best options for views.

Organics Sky Garden

Standing 40 metres tall, on the 13th floor of the Hyatt Centric hotel, this venue combines contemporary design furniture with peculiar rooftop garden looks and atmosphere, which make it something of a rare green oasis in Milan’s urban landscape. 

Besides cocktails and savoury bites, the bar also offers live DJ sets and music events on weekends.

Organics Sky Garden in Milan

A view of the Organics Sky Garden, near Milan’s Centrale railway station. Photo by Organics Sky Garden on Instagram

BASE Terrace

Located in the lively Tortona district, south-east Milan, the terrace of the BASE Milano cultural centre is one of the best available options if you’re looking for an affordable rooftop aperitivo. 

Though it may not quite allow for spectacular views, the BASE Terrace is still a great place to relax and grab a drink after a long day of work or sightseeing.

READ ALSO: Six of Milan’s best bookshop cafes

The venue is particularly popular among the younger generations (especially among people aged 20 to 30).  

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OPINION

Doggy bags and sharing plates: Why Italy’s last food-related taboos are dying out

Italy is famous for its strong culinary traditions and unwritten rules around eating, but as Italians embrace doggy bags and informal dining, Silvia Marchetti argues that the last food-related taboos have been broken.

Published: 25 April 2024 09:40 CEST
Updated: 28 April 2024 08:31 CEST
Doggy bags and sharing plates: Why Italy's last food-related taboos are dying out

Italians are deadly serious when it comes to eating or, as they say, “mettere le gambe sotto il tavolo”, meaning ‘putting your feet under the table’.

Three meals per day remain sacrosanct at home, but at restaurants the eating etiquette is changing, particularly in big cities where globalisation has an effect.

I recently discovered, much to my surprise, that Italians are embracing doggy bags. When I was a kid, many many years ago, to us Italians it always seemed like something only foreigners could do, especially Americans.

We would never have asked a waiter to give us a paper bag to bring away the food for the next day, it just would never have popped up in our minds: you eat what you are served and if you no longer wanted what you’d paid for, well too bad, you’ll leave it on the plate. It would’ve been embarrassing to walk away with a doggy bag.

So I was shocked when recently at a restaurant in Rome I saw Italians taking away bags of leftover lunch food, including cold pizza slices and meatballs. It almost knocked me off my chair.

READ ALSO: Are doggy bags still taboo in Italy’s restaurants?

When the waitress came to our table to bring the cheque, and saw that we hadn’t finished our fried  fish and spaghetti alle vongole, she asked if we wanted a doggy bag. My jaw dropped. It was a first for me.

Yet what really shocked me was that the restaurant was not in the city centre, but in the countryside where traditions tend to survive, or at the very least, take longer to die.

It struck me how it’s no longer foreigners asking for doggy bags, but even Italians have overcome the stigma of this former faux pas.

The sad truth is that it’s not just because of globalisation and the economic crisis following the pandemic. There’s been a fall in the cultural level of many Italians, so asking for a doggy bag is also a way to avoid having to cook for the evening or for the day after, rather than to save money.

Sadly, this trend is not an exception, nor a one-off, and in Italy it’s not driven by concerns over food waste (we’re really not that ‘green’) or the cost of living.

Italian restaurants are simply becoming more generically European and international, adapting to global habits and the requests of foreign clientele.

In Rome’s touristy spots, restaurants showcase photos of dishes outside the restaurant to lure customers, or display real plates of gluey carbonara. This is something I had never seen in my childhood.

I have noticed that other restaurant eating taboos and etiquette rules have fallen away, too.

A few (well-off) friends of mine bring their own bottles of wine along when they eat out so that they don’t have to pay for these at the restaurant. I find this very inappropriate, but it usually happens when the restaurant owner and customers are friends or know each other.

READ ALSO: Want to eat well in Italy? Here’s why you should ditch the cities

Trends in restaurant etiquette are changing. There are eateries that serve pizza at lunch, which used to be something you could only order for dinner unless you’re in Naples.

The standard three courses which we normally have are also being messed up: appetisers, first, second and side dishes are eaten in a disorderly way – something which would make my granny turn in her grave.

I have seen Italian families first order a T-bone steak and then pasta or a slice of pizza, while many couples share plates. The man orders one type of spaghetti dish, the woman orders another kind of spaghetti and half-way through the meal they switch dishes. This was something very unusual in the past. Before in restaurant there were boundaries in eating habits and in the eating culture, which are now blurring.

My parents taught me it is rude to poke your fork into someone else’s plate to curl up some spaghetti for yourself. My dad always looked sideways at anyone who did that: not only is it extremely improper, he thinks, but it is also very unhygienic.

There are no more rules left in Italian restaurants nowadays, and all taboos have been broken.

To adapt to foreign clients many restaurants tend to stay open the whole day, especially in very touristy areas, and the untouchable hours of lunch and dinner now overlap. Some taverns even serve breakfast.

READ ALSO: Why do Italians get so angry if you mess with classic recipes?

In the north, I’ve noticed that bread and extra-virgin olive oil are often missing from the table and you have to ask for them, which is something very atypical of Italian standards.

To find the traditional Italian eating code in restaurants where there are rules that will never die, one must go deep into unknown spots, and travel to remote villages no one has ever heard of. It’s always harder to find such authentic, untouched places.

I really hate to say this, but wherever there is mass tourism local traditions tend to die, particularly food-related ones.

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