The charismatic and charming Claudio Antonioli is consistently included in the business of fashion influence rating. In 2003, in the building of the former Navigli drama theatre, he opened his main brainchild — the flagship multi-brand Antonioli (Via P. Paoli, 1). Today, Claudio's store resembles a gallery, where a carefully selected assortment of the most advanced brands is lovingly inscribed in the interiors of glossy glass, dark stone and plastic. Another place that fashionistas will be sorry to miss is the Armani Silos headquarters and Museum (Via Bergognone, 40). The master of Italian design opened this space in 2015 in honour of the fortieth anniversary of creative activity. The collection of archival collections, exhibition halls and a store are located in the building of the former granary. The architects of the project managed to preserve the historical outline of the building, but completely transform the interior, turning it into a real "temple of fashion".

Piccolo theatre, the first stationary drama theatre in Italy, is forever associated with the name of Giorgio strelera, actor, director, author of the famous book "Theatre for people". Streler is one of those who defined the course of the history of the theatre of the XX century, considering it the highest kind of human activity. Together with Paolo Grassi and Nina Vinci, he opened the Piccolo theatre in 1947 with a play based on Gorky's play "At the bottom", where one of the roles, shoemaker Alyosha, was played by Streler himself. The idea was to make a long-lived theatre that would also be a cultural center-with a library, a conference room, and a book and record store. The theatre was immediately created as an institution funded by the municipal authorities of Milan and designed to improve the lives of primarily local residents. The motto of the theatre: "The art of theatre for everyone", and here we have always tried to make performances for as wide an audience as possible.

Brera is famous for its charming little boutiques, antique shops and art salons located along the cobbled streets. On the bright Via Fiori Chiari is the legendary antique shop Robertaebasta Gallery, owned by a passionate collector of Art Deco items, furniture, ceramics and tableware of the twentieth century. Take a little more time to explore all the corners of this store – perhaps this is where you will find the unique piece of Antiques that you have been looking for for so long. To add Italian romance to your wardrobe, check out the bright and spacious boutique of local designer Luisa Beccaria. Working with lace, chiffon and silk, the master creates eye-catching dresses that can be seen at the best parties in the city and on such stars as Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie.

Artisans, from shoemakers to weavers, settled in large numbers in the Brera quarter. The Spelta family has been producing iconic ballerinas since 1957. These classic shoes are made by hand from suede and other types of leather of the highest quality. Today, the brand's signature boutique in Brera offers ballet flats in all pastel colours and traditional blue, black and red. In search of original accessories in Milan, look at Faliero Sarti. This is a Paradise for lovers of silk, wool and cashmere scarves and shawls. Bright prints and drawings set a great mood and are suitable for the biggest fashionistas, and classic monochrome models – for reserved conservatives who know a lot about style.

Probably everyone watched films about the Italian mafia and caught themselves thinking about how well all the gangsters are dressed. Vintage men-only store Cavalli e Nastri sells clothing from the 30-70s. Just think-a real Italian gangster style. One of these jackets may have once belonged to someone from Cosa Nostra. Things here are in perfect condition, so you can dress up from head to toe as an Italian model of the 1950s.

Via Manzoni is the most famous street in Milan. There are many historical buildings and the cultural life of the city is concentrated here. Almost every house has an interesting history, where everything is imbued with the spirit of art or the memory of the past. At the end of the 19th century, Italian art Nouveau was born and immediately covered all areas of art, including architecture. One of the buildings on Via Manzoni is built in the neoclassical style. It hosted meetings of activists who supported Giuseppe Mazzini – an Italian politician and writer who fought for the national liberation of the country.