When my wife and I headed to Italy last fall, it was a very much needed trip. Lots had happened in our lives over the previous year (really, two years, but who’s counting?) and the idea of leaving the continent and spending a couple of weeks wandering around Milan, Turin, the Barolo area and Lake Como sounded like the slice of heaven we both needed. To make it a touch more special, we sprung for the really fancy seats on our flight to Milan and starting crushing Champagne as soon as we could.

That Champagne kept flowing right into and through a delicious meal before I got a great night of sleep in a lay flat bed prior to landing in Milan. After shaking off a touch of jet lag, my wife and I headed out for our first night in Navigli and spent some time walking along the canals on a perfect October evening.

As luck would have it, when I booked our apartment, I did not realize it was a short walk from what was our favourite restaurant, Be Bop, when we were last in Milan. That restaurant was still going strong and we had another outstanding meal (with so much gluten free selection for my wife) that paired well with a local white wine.

Just like all those years ago, Be Bop still serves a shot of limoncello at the end of the meal. My wife asked if they would be able to sell us some to take with us and their lovely hostess appeared after a few minutes with two bottles, including one chilled for immediate enjoyment. This became our stash from which we had a goodnight drink just about every night we were in Italy.

One of the things that made this trip to Milan so special was the place we rented. A cute three level townhouse with an inner courtyard that made it feel so peaceful, even located in the heart of a restaurant and bar heavy neighbourhood. Coming back to this every night was special and relaxed me into our first few days in Italy.

My wife and I don’t plan our trips for the purpose of creating “special moments”, but sometimes a plan comes together and it really is special. We had booked tickets for a ballet and prior to that, all dolled up for a fancy evening, we emerged from the metro in front of the Duomo di Milano. When we visited it back in 2011, it became one of our favourite memories of that trip. On this trip, we only stopped for a quick picture for our return visit.

We were in search of a place for a pre-ballet drink and found one with a view of the Duomo. Snacks and outstanding drinks (including, for me, the best negroni of the two weeks) and the start of our two week Yahtzee challenge was an amazing way to spend an hour or two. We people watched, talked, and sipped away our time… I know that this felt like a dream the entire time we were there.

A short walk away, we entered one of the great opera halls in the world and took our box seats for the night. Teatro alla Scala is magnificent.

My dad was an opera fan and spoke often of wishing he could have visited La Scala. That was on my mind as I watched the hall fill up as curtain time for the ballet approached. There were moments sitting here before the show that I was simply enthralled by the setting and the gathering crowd.

The ballet, La Dame aux Camélias, was magnificent. I was mesmerized throughout the tragic story, cried at its conclusion, and was blown away by the solo pianist whose playing was unlike anything I have ever heard. All of this from this one night – retracing steps with my wife 13 years later, enjoying a couple of drinks while staring at one of the most beautiful churches in the world, and a stunning ballet in a stunning hall. What a night.

Milan also had its share of much more pedestrian experiences. Delicious pizzas?… Of course!

Exploring Sempione Park on a lightly rainy afternoon and enjoying the architecture and gardens? Definitely!

Sitting down at Il Beerla, a craft beer bar, thanks to my wife and her eternal support of my beer curiosity, even though they didn’t have a single gluten free thing she could safely drink?….. Yes!

What could wrap up a few days in Milan when we returned back for one night prior to catching our flight home? Another meal at Be Bop with an entirely different selection of dishes and another equally tasty local white wine. The risotto was heavenly!

We don’t normally keep going back to the same places on our travels, but this restaurant is now our restaurant in Milan on account of three lovely meals across thirteen years of our time together. It was a perfect way for us to end a couple of weeks in Italy.