“Do you know who is sitting behind you?” my server Laura Ventura whispered after pouring me a second glass of Valpolicella Ripasso Classico. “Simone Biles,” she said, smiling.
I waited to turn around, choosing to play it cool, and twirled my fork into my tagliolini al limone e pepe rosa—the signature lemon pasta dish a father and son from Indianapolis had insisted I try the night before. We had been at the USA-Denmark Men’s Hockey game, and in between body checks and timeouts, they couldn’t stop raving about Bacaro Montenapoleone, a small Milanese restaurant just steps from my hotel. Who knew a chance food rec would result in me dining next to the GOAT?
But that’s what happens when you visit a host city for the Winter Olympics. You could bump into figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi (which I DID while taking a selfie near the Olympic rings), speed skating phenom and five-time gold-medalist Bonnie Blair (I waved), or Snoop Dogg (I think everyone BUT me bumped into him).
I had gone to Milan to support longtime friend Chantal Tkachuk and catch her NHL-star sons Matthew and Brady in a few preliminary games. Their father, former Phoenix Coyotes captain and four-time Olympian Keith Tkachuk, was also on hand to cheer them on and enjoy some time in Italy. "I didn't know I'd be drinking wine at lunch," he joked. As you may have heard, their boys ultimately helped lead the USA Men’s Hockey team to a gritty and historic gold-medal win over Canada.
Their daughter, Taryn, also an athlete, was there to support her brothers and earned, in my opinion, the “Best Use of Makeup to Paint Your Face Like an American Flag” award. NBC Sports must have agreed because she was featured more than once on the telecast.
In between games at Milan’s Santagiulia Arena, I explore. Here are a few things I recommend if you find yourself in the capital city of Italy’s Lombardy region.
Ciao Milano!
Like any European city, parts of Milan are best experienced on foot. Start in the chic Brera neighborhood, knock out some window shopping at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and grab a coffee (or Italian aperitivo, as it’s 5 o’clock somewhere).
While the Metro is easy to navigate, one of my favorite mornings involved strolling around the Navigli neighborhood. Here, there’s a series of interconnected canals built ages ago to help transport the marble needed to construct Milan's jaw-dropping Gothic cathedral, the Duomo. Today, the area is lined with shops and restaurants, and rivals any Milanese hot spot at night, when the place comes alive.
A Life Aquatic
Want to feel like you’re in a Wes Anderson film? Just a 10-minute walk from the Lodi Metro Station in Fondazione Prada, Bar Luce features some of the best coffee and pistachio brioches around—along with a healthy dose of quirky pastel wallpaper, Formica furniture, an old-school jukebox, and vintage pinball machines paying homage to Anderson’s films. After all, the award-winning director designed the place.
The Last Supper
Perhaps the hottest ticket in town involves a chance to spend 15 minutes inside the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Santa Maria delle Grazie, gazing at Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece depicting Jesus sharing a meal with his Twelve Apostles. That’s all the time you’ll get to reflect on the ultimate betrayal and catch details like the spilled salt (a symbol of bad luck) near Judas or Saint Peter holding a knife (sensing danger). Da Vinci painted on dry plaster, an experimental technique that led to almost immediate flaking, as well as a 20-year restoration project centuries later.
‘The Milan’
My Olympics home for the week was the Grand Hotel et de Milan, a Milanese staple that opened in 1863. Just steps from the Teatro alla Scala, it’s the oldest hotel in the city, affectionately nicknamed “The Milan” by its guests.
Walter Miamilia walked me through the historic Gerry’s Bar just past the elegant, marble welcome lounge and pointed to Federico, the bartender that afternoon. Miamilia started as a bellboy more than three decades ago, working his way up to head concierge.
“Don’t leave without trying one of Federico’s drinks,” he recommended. “Something with Campari.”
He also raved about the lasagne at the 5-star hotel’s formal spot, Ristorante Don Carlos, and asked whether I’d checked out the Verdi Suite.
I had. It’s where the famed composer Giuseppe Verdi lived for 27 years and features the original desk where the maestro penned some of his classics. Guests can stay there if they’d like to experience something truly historic and feel what it might have been like to write a four-act opera about the Babylonian King Nabucco.
As for me, I settled back into my room and firmed up plans to meet the Tkachuks for dinner, grateful my pasta meal with Simone wasn’t MY “last supper.”