Abroad Photo Diary: MILAN

This weekend was one of my absolute favorites I've ever had. Going to Milan has been on my bucket list my entire life, so being able to visit during fashion week was an absolute dream come true.  It was the most special way to celebrate the last few days of being 20! I went with a few other girls who are also studying apparel, so as you can imagine, we were pretty much in awe of every outfit, store window and building we passed by. Our goal was to try to make it into a show, and even though we didn't make it inside a major show (we stood outside the Armani one but it was really strict, sadly), we did somehow manage to get into the Jimmy Choo 2019 Presentation! And as if that wasn't the best moment of our trip, we bumped into Olivia Palermo (my style icon for as long as I can remember) on her way into the event! (Scroll down for a photo!) Literally the most "pinch me" hour of my life. We got so lucky with our timing and honestly still can't believe it!! Milan far surpassed all of our expectations - it is seriously the most incredible place from the architecture to the restaurants to the shopping and even just people watching. 

I will forever be obsessed with the Milan Galleria - is it not the most incredible architecture you've ever seen?! 

We found the most chic navy, pink and gold themed restaurant right inside the Galleria - highly recommend their prosciutto pizza! 

Pink + orange buildings (insert heart eye emoji here!).

There are no words to even describe the Starbucks Reserve... a must for a snack and a drink. 

Thank you for making our trip the most memorable ever, Olivia!! 

Things to Do:

+ Duomo 

The big castle looking building in the photos above - you must stop by. It's at the heart of the city and even though there are way too many people (and pigeons, ugh) everywhere, it is so cool to see. 

+ Galleria 

As you can tell, I am slightly obsessed with the Galleria (the beautiful mall right next to the Duomo). Think Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc. all in this gorgeous, open building with restaurants, gelatarias and amazing people watching. There were even some photo shoots going on when we were looking around! 

+ Exploring

Literally just walking around and exploring Milan was our favorite part of the trip. The city is full of the most stylish people I've ever seen, and there's cool stuff around every corner. To me, the best part of the weekend cost no money at all - just seeing everything in real life is the most memorable thing! 

Restaurant Recommendations:

+ Motta Milano 1928 

The most chic pink, navy and gold restaurant right inside the Galleria! The lunch was incredible and honestly a great deal for how ideal the location was. Order the prosciutto pizza! 

+ Temakinho

I'm not going to lie, this was probably some of the worst service I've had in a while, and it was much more overpriced than it should have been, but the food and vibe of this restaurant were so pretty (see the pink restaurant above!). 7 of us got poke bowls, chips and guac and mango smoothies for lunch the first day and aside from all of the bad service, it was still such a pretty meal. Super close to the Duomo and almost reminded me of the Italian version of the Beverly Hills Hotel! 

+ Starbucks Reserve

No trip to Milan is complete without a stop at the Starbucks Reserve! I wouldn't consider myself the biggest Starbucks super fan, but seeing this place was insane. They had incredible desserts (the strawberry cake was 10/10), drinks and overall environment. 

I am so grateful to have been able to spend such a fun weekend in Milan - if you ever have the chance to go (even for a day), I could not suggest it enough. 

Have you been to Milan before? 

xoxo