(rhythmic guitar music)
- Well, it was time to leave rainy Paris
after spending a few days there
touring design schools for our daughter.
Look at the Arc de Triomphe.
I mean, how beautiful is that?
It's a site that never gets old
no matter how many times I'm in the city.
But not to worry,
I'll be back in Paris in a week or so with my sister
and my nephew who are coming to visit,
and we will do some touristy sites then.
But for now, it was off to Milan.
This is one of the things
that I love about traveling in Europe.
Within an hour, an hour and a half,
you can be in a totally different country,
And we almost didn't make our flight, we were on standby.
And here's a tip for you.
You know, an airline sometimes email you a confirmation
and they say It's time to check in?
Always do that because if you don't do that,
which is what we didn't do,
then when you get to the airport,
they think you haven't confirmed your flight,
and then we've got put on standby.
This is with Air France
so I don't know if that's standard with all airlines,
but, of course, my husband and my eldest daughter,
they checked in via email and they had no problem. (giggles)
Luckily, we got on the flight.
We arrived in Milan about three o'clock,
which had give us some time to explore the city
before we headed off to dinner,
I wanted to also be in the city center
because there's so much going on
and I really wanted the girls to understand
what the city was like,
especially for my daughter who was looking at colleges here.
I wanted her to have the full experience.
And as we drove through the city,
we saw the most incredible view
of the Duomo or the Cathedral of Milan.
I definitely wanted to make sure
we were able to visit that while we were here.
So I booked a hotel just a few steps away from it,
knowing that that would assure
that we would have time to visit.
I booked a hotel called the Matilde Boutique Hotel,
and it was absolutely perfect for what we needed.
In Paris, we stayed at an Airbnb,
which was located behind these closed doors
in a beautiful courtyard.
The actual Airbnb, though, was very tiny,
and so I think when you're traveling
for a long amount of time,
it's good to mix up Airbnbs and hotel.
So after the tiny little Airbnb
that we were in in Paris for four days
where we have one bedroom and a pull-out sofa
with all of our luggage and all four of us
with one bathroom, those were some tight quarters.
So for this part of the trip,
we decided to splurge a little bit and get two rooms.
And I have to say, this room is really great.
This hotel is in the center of the city, and you know what?
It's gonna be perfect for three days.
Each room was really sizable,
which was a nice pleasant surprise
for being in a major European city.
Usually, you don't have all of this room,
which was good, given the size of our suitcases,
the beds were really comfy and cozy,
and had a little sitting area,
there was even a desk area with a nice espresso machine,
a great spot to plug in a laptop, or charge your cell phone.
There was also a wonderful view outside of the city
so it was great to kinda see what was going on down below.
The bathroom was also really nicely appointed
with everything you could possibly need.
Again, a wonderful view outside to see the city below,
it was really gonna be perfect.
We spent the afternoon exploring the city,
and for dinner, our hotel suggested we book a table
at a restaurant overlooking the canal.
There's one canal that runs through Milan,
and on the waterfront,
you can find all kinds of trendy restaurants
and little eateries.
It's a very lively part of the city,
and apparently, at night,
it has quite the nightlife. (giggles)
We had a wonderful appetizer.
It was this fried chip that inside,
had a beautiful fish puree inside.
For dinner, the girls had these amazing stuffed gnocchis
with the carbonara sauce
and my husband and I,
we could not resist the lobster ravioli,
which was unbelievable.
The presentation was so beautiful,
it had about five raviolis and a delicious sauce
and then was like a little baby lobster
or almost looked like a crayfish or a langoustine,
it was quite fantastic.
And then, of course, we had to try some dessert.
So now we're gonna try this.
I got a deconstructed cannoli,
so it's the cannoli cream, with the cannoli shells,
and we're gonna give it a try and see if it's good.
It looks amazing.
How could this be bad, right?
It was worth every calorie.
- I think that cannoli doesn't really go.
- It's really good.
- Or, you could fill the cannoli, (laughs)
reconstruct it, the cannoli reconstructed.
And then the only way to work that all off was to walk home.
And then we got to see the beautiful Duomo lit up.
Oh, I can't wait to go inside.
(rhythmic authentic music)
And so we had some schools to visit in the afternoon,
but that left the morning
for doing a little bit of sightseeing.
And I had always remembered the beautiful Galleria in Milan
that has like the most incredible architecture
and shops inside.
It's right in the same sort of square as the Duomo.
It's actually right next to it.
So if you're visiting both,
it's a great thing to do in one day.
And it is the most incredible spot.
It was built in the 1860s after the unification of Italy
as a way to modernize the city.
It was named after Italy's first monarch,
and to this day,
remains the oldest shopping center in the world.
It's a four-story double arcade,
and you can go just to see the architecture
because that, in itself, is a thing to see.
But if you are so inclined and have the budget,
it has the most incredible collection
of designer shops you will probably see in the city.
Everybody is there from Gucci to Prada to Dior,
and it's just a marvelous place to take in.
(rhythmic music)
We spotted a lovely hotel
and we thought this would be a great place
just to watch the world go by.
We ordered some coffees,
and with the coffee, came this delicious little cookie box
that was presented to us.
So we sat there nibbling on cookies and sipping coffee.
Here's my husband doing his best,
George Clooney impersonation for Nespresso. (laughs)
Then we spotted this incredible display of gelato,
but apparently, this isn't the authentic kind
when it's piled up like this.
The real kind is in the canister, so I'm told.
So we were gonna wait.
We left the Galleria
and then just spent the rest of the day
walking around the city
discovering all the little neighborhoods.
I think it's really the best way to see a city.
And my husband has really convinced me to this fact.
He is a citywalker.
He spent most of his life in Paris,
and whenever we get to that city,
everybody has to wear good shoes
because he will spend all the days walking around the city
showing my daughters all of the different places
he used to live, he used to work, and so on.
If in fact, you wanna see all of my tips
for how to experience Paris on foot,
you can check out my short that I just posted.
Okay, we are headed to dinner to a local trattoria
recommended by our hotel.
This is it.
We will see if it's good, pizza, pasta, something casual
because we have been walking all day,
thanks to this one. (laughs)
He loves a good walk, oh, my. (giggles)
The girls and I were so relieved
to be able to jump in the cab.
Our feet were killing us, (giggles)
and it was another really great way to see the city
just in the comfort of a taxi, watching the world go by.
We were headed to the neighborhood of Brera,
and as soon as we rolled into this neighborhood,
we could see a lot of beautiful little shops,
quaint little streets, and everybody was out for dinner.
There's something so charming about European restaurants
that spill out into the street.
I don't know why I find this so appealing,
but I guess 'cause it's so different
from what we have in the States
where they would never let you do that.
We ordered an incredible appetizer,
a thinly-sliced prosciutto, and creamy burrata.
Now, at this point of the trip,
I did not have my glasses on,
so I couldn't tell
that I was actually shooting all of this
in slow motion. (giggles)
But I guess
if you were gonna shoot something in slow motion,
let it be creamy burrata.
I mean, how good does that look?
And it tasted just the same.
For dinner, we ordered one of their pizzas
that was absolutely delicious.
We also got a pasta bolognese.
And then because we are in Milan,
we couldn't resist the Milanese Cutlet that was on the menu.
And the waiter explained that a lot of times,
in the other parts of the world
you'll see chicken Milanese, but in fact,
the original is made with veal, with the bone in.
So my husband and I got that.
And for dessert, we couldn't resist the panna cotta.
It's one of my favorite desserts,
and I had to have it
because I'm always curious about the texture here in Italy,
it's always so much better
than what we get in the States.
I'm hoping they're gonna teach us how to make that
at the Cooking School.
(upbeat rhythmic music)
Well, that was totally delicious,
but now, my husband is right,
we need to walk home because there is no way
that we can just flop into bed after eating all that.
(laughs) We have to work it off,
Buona notte. (upbeat rhythmic music)
(traffic buzzing) (tranquil rhythmic music)
Now, with all of the college tours complete,
it was time to visit the Duomo.
Now, one of the things
I've learned about touring cathedrals in Italy
is that you have to be dressed for it.
Because when you get up to the church,
you'll see a panel
that will have all of the different restrictions.
Basically, for ladies, it's no bare shoulders,
no bare knees,
for men, the shorts can't be too short.
In fact, my husband's shorts were a little short
said the ticket lady. (laughs)
But since we had already waited in line so long,
we decided to take our chances with the fashion police
and they are monitoring,
but not to worry, he got in.
But a few ladies ahead of us didn't make the cut
and they were given paper ponchos.
The cathedral is absolutely stunning.
I mean, it really is an architectural feat to behold.
Anytime I'm in a cathedral,
I always ask permission,
if it's okay to take a photo or a video.
And most often, especially in a place like this,
they allow you to do it, you just can't use a flash.
♪ Ave Maria ♪ (tranquil tune)
Being in a cathedral
always reminds me of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.
My father would take my sister and I
for our birthdays into the city,
and we would always make a stop at St. Patrick's
to light a candle for our grandparents,
or any other relatives who had passed on.
So my daughter and I really wanted to take the time
to light a candle for my brother,
who many of you may know, passed away last March.
And it was a real shock to all of us.
He was 48 years old and died suddenly of a heart attack.
We're a very close-knit family.
So this was a real tragedy for all of us.
But being in this cathedral,
somehow, gave me great peace and comfort thinking about him.
(tranquil music)
Given our Italian heritage,
we always wanted to travel to Italy together.
We never got to do that,
but I definitely feel him when I'm here.
Every time I see one of his favorite foods, like a cannoli
in a store shop window, (giggles)
I think it's him tending me a sign.
After our visit to the Duomo,
we all agreed it was time to search out the gelato.
So down the street from our hotel
is a culinary marvel called Peck.
It's somewhere between a grocery store,
and a restaurant, and a catering.
They have basically, everything you could possibly want,
with the most incredible selection of Italian food products,
including gelato, in the silver canisters. (laughs)
Ah, amazing! (laughs)
I chose pistachio and hazelnut, let's see.
(restaurant buzzing)
Oh, this is good!
Fantastic, look at the little specs of pistachio
in the gelato.
This place is amazing.
It's right down from our hotel.
And it's a fabulous, deli, restaurant thing.
I'll definitely, I'll put the link in the description.
All right, you got what?
Rum raisin? - Rum raisin.
Rum raisin is like, woo-hoo.
- [Beth] No driving after? - Nope.
(Beth laughs)
(rhythmic upbeat music)
- I kind of have to crack up
because every time we come home from a meal,
there are these two women that are sitting on our mantle
in our hotel room, they kind of sum it all up.
The first one reminds me of what I'm gonna be thinking
when I look at my credit card bill. (giggles)
And then the other picture
reminds me of what I'm gonna feel like
when I jump on the scale when I get home.
- Oh, no, mama mia. (laughs)
Well, we enjoyed our trip to Milan very much.
It was really exciting.
But now, after being a few days in Paris,
and a few days in Milan,
I think I'm really gonna enjoy the country.
So I will see you at the Cooking School, bye.
(upbeat rhythmic music) (guest cheering)
- [Companion] Let me take a bite.