What’s the draw
Milan is one of those rare places that combines business and pleasure in equal measure. One of the most visited cities in Europe, it’s as much of a draw for hipsters wanting to eat their way through as much of its historic and distinctive northern Italian cuisine or hang out at its bars as it is for well-dressed pensioners taking in a show at La Scala or suited businesspeople attending conferences or arranging meetings. At times it can feel a bit like square miles of Mayfair, but in classic Italian style it can steal your breath away with a casual ancient building at the edge of an otherwise unassuming square, or when you round a corner and you’re confronted with the majesty of the Duomo.
I was here in the city for the first time for the The 50 Best Bars – in that sense, probably more so than those flying in for a pharmaceutical conference staged over the same dates, I was combining work and pleasure as only the drinks industry can. Fittingly, the bar at Michelin-starred restaurant Moebius clinched number two on the list, with a party there the previous night showing that this unabashedly posh capital of fashion can definitely let its hair down.
A panoramic suite
The basement-level wine cellar for bespoke events
The Excelsior Hotel Gallia is part of the Marriott group’s Luxury Collection, a group of stately and reliably excellent top-rated hotels in countless international destinations. Founded in 1932, the stately building that houses it would be more eye-catching were it not planted right next to the majesty of Centrale station, whose frontage in all its Belle Époque glory. Still, Gallia is a beautiful property, couldn’t be more conveniently located, and is consistently luxurious without being ostentatious.
Where lobbies are from antiquity, rooms are modern; mine is a gleaming cave of stone-washed colours, an abiding king bed next to smart leather chairs, a handy writing desk, a clean marble bathroom and its own corridor making it feel like a small but generous suite. A spa with pool is available for use, with the flagship Terrazza Gallia restaurant a draw in and of itself.
The food and drink
This is something that begins as soon as you step into your room – or at least it did for me, talking into a house-baked local delicacy torta Sbrisolona left under a cloche on checking in, as well as a bottle of Blanc de Blancs from northern Italian traditional-method sparkling producer Ferrari Trento.
Breakfast is well appointed with a smart buffet and extras available to order included in the room rate, but the real draw is the aforementioned Terrazza Gallia, which follows the joint vision of the hotel’s executive chef Vincenzo Lebano and Terrazza Gallia’s chef de cuisine Andrea Calia Di Dio. I dined there on the first of my two nights, kicking off with a cocktail on a vibey terrace with views right out to columns of Centrale station and the square.
Artful dishes at Terrazza Gallia
The alfresco terrace, with Centrale station in the background
Genovese-style ravioli of beef and a celeriac espuma and crispy Pecorino kicked off the meal, with my main a delicious cotoletta alla Milanese, the classic hammered, breaded and fried pork dish synonymous with the city, alongside a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino 2017 from Col D’Orcia. A playful appetiser of foie gras mouse encased in a miniature green apple is a playful reference to the sculpture on the square outside.
A small but very well stocked wine cellar at basement level downstairs also forms the setting for intimate wine masterclasses and private bookings for both wine and cocktail events.
What to do
The location is key, with the Centrale Metro station 30 seconds’ walk from the hotel’s entrance for those looking to break from the shackles of the city traffic. A walk down the Galileo Galilei past the gleaming financial district into the old centre is a must – the Duomo, La Scale opera house and more quintessential attractions are all walkable from there.
And given the reason for my visit, I’d say it would be remiss not to check out some of Milan’s best bars, from the newly crowned Moebius to the neon-lit Bar Basso, a historic venue best known as the birthplace of the Negroni Sbagliato.
