Valextra’s San Valentino Tour

Love From, Milano

The real magic and mystique of Milan is ever present, but it really comes alive around the eve of San Valentino when the shadows cast across the Pavé cobblestones from backlit street lamps and a gentle fog descends on our famous tramlines. Taking the time to wander around the city admiring the outline of our famous landmarks and discovering the invite and intrigue of our hometown is a treat reserved for city dwellers, but this Valentine’s Day we’re giving you a special remote tour of the classic Milanese landmarks whose inked outlines mirror Valextra’s own, creating a thread that weaves through the city.

 

 

1. Via Manzoni

 

The home of Valextra’s flagship boutique, designed by John Pawson in 2019, and the place where our objects of exquisite craft can be admired and desired. While paying a visit, look to your left and your right: the Grand Hotel et de Milan (a favourite Valextra collaborator) will take care of aperitivo hour every night of the year, while the Teatro alla Scala is less than a stone’s throw away for more decadent displays of affection. 

2. Torre Velasca

 

Few things conjure the tension we so admire between sobriety and spontaneity as the Torre Velasca. It’s Brutalist construction and stoic silhouette is one of the city’s defining landmarks. Casting its watchful eye over the cobbles below from its 27 floors, it is a potent symbol of Milano’s innovation in design and can be found at the intersection of Corso di Porta Romana and Corso Italia. Perfectly symmetrical yet ever beguiling, it evokes our own principle of engineering beauty, captivating by day and night.

3. Arco Della Pace 

 

Located at the entrance to Parco Sempione, the Arco Della Pace originally marked the road from Milan to – appropriately - the City of Love, Paris. Stand and admire the neoclassical arch started by Napoleon in the 19th Century crafted from marble sourced from the Swiss Alps. It’s similar to that seen in the mesmerising entranceways of Milano, famous for their sweeping marble interiors and architectural prowess. When you’re finished at the Arco, walk towards Brera and enjoy observing the softly lit entrance halls that line the streets for yourself.

 

4. Naviglio Grande

 

The complex system of Navigli’s interconnected canals culminate in a long stretch of restaurants, bars, and book shops on Naviglio Grande that bring you to the beating heart of the city’s bohemian social scene. Wander around, taking in a caffé or a spritz, as you traverse the canal’s bridges, leaving behind a padlock in honour of your loved one(s) and watching local rowers glide by beneath. As evening falls, this stretch lights up in festoon bulbs, bringing an intimacy to the area’s imposing architectural structures, throwing Milan into a light all of its own. 



 

And to finish, a special (Val)extra tip for your San Valentino tour… 


5. Orto Botanico di Brera 

 

Milano’s “secret garden” is an oasis in the centre of the city, romantically resting in positive tension with the Brutalist bustle that surrounds it. Dating back to the 14th Century when it played host to plant cultivation and became a place to meditate. To this day, it remains a place of calm and quiet to be enjoyed on a bright winter’s morning or balmy summer evening and breathe in the aroma of this concealed microcosm.