How Pierre Gasly would spend a weekend in Milan

F1 racer Pierre Gasly loves living in fashion-forward Milan. Here are his top weekend picks, from shopping in Quadrilatero della moda to walking his puppy in Parco Sempione.

For Pierre Gasly, a pilot for the BWT Alpine F1 team, everyday life is as fast-paced as a lap on the circuit.

"I've been doing Formula One for eight years now," says Gasly. "I started racing when I was six; travelling the world since I was nine years old. I only know this life of being on the run all the time; being in airports and on planes."

So a great home base is especially important. That's why, in 2019, Gasly settled in Milan, Italy's stylish financial capital. "I literally moved three months before winning the Italian Grand Prix," says Gasly. "I didn't need to go to any airports, fly to any place. I just drove back home and then woke up on Monday morning in my bed as an F1 race winner. After all the emotions it really made me have this special attachment to the city itself and even to my apartment. I love this place."

But it's more than the sweet memory of victory that ties Gasly to edgy, contemporary Milan, a sprawling metropolis with splendid Gothic and Renaissance architecture and ancient Celtic roots. "I'm a city guy," he says. "I need to feel the action. Milan is a big city but not overcrowded, like Paris or London or New York. You can cross town in 20-25 minutes. Fashion is massive; I love fashion. You have two football teams; one amazing stadium. Whenever I feel like going out for dinner with my girlfriend you have so many different options and the food is very good quality; very pure, very healthy. It's just a combination of all my life pleasures in one place. I find it amazing to live here."

It certainly helps that Milan is also a huge Formula One city, due to its proximity to the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit, site of the Italian Grand Prix; a nine-minute train ride from Milano Centro in the medieval city of Monza. "It's running in the people's DNA," says Gasly. "Almost like a religion. [On race day], the atmosphere is very unique in Monza. When you have all these fans showing up, the grandstands are absolutely buzzing."

Here are Gasly's favourite ways to experience a weekend in his home base of Milan.

Milan can be overwhelming for first-time visitors, with a whopping 182sq km of museums, luxury boutiques and dazzling layers of architectural history from Etruscan ruins to contemporary Italian skyscrapers scattered throughout its 88 vibrant neighbourhoods. But when Gasly wants to show visitors his adopted hometown, he knows exactly where to go.

"I take them straight to the Duomo," he says. "Though I've probably seen it 100 times, every time I still stand in front, amazed."

The Duomo di Milano cathedral, built in stages between 1386 and 1906, is the largest Gothic structure in Italy; topped by a bronze 18th-Century statue of the Madonnina (Virgin Mary) and surrounded by a sweeping piazza – a playground for street performers and pigeons. Adjacent to the piazza is the 19th-Century covered shopping gallery Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II; its ceiling a kaleidoscope of wrought iron and stained glass. Just 140m away is the historic department store Rinascente.

"I love architecture. I think the Duomo is a is a great example," says Gasly. "[It's so] beautiful and massive. The Galleria, Rinascente, this whole area will take a big part of your afternoon. Obviously tourists go there, but even living here now for years I love going there and hanging out. Do a bit of shopping, stop for an aperitivo and just walk around. I find it really beautiful."

Gasly also brings friends to Navigli; a hip nightlife quarter cut through by two picturesque canals, dubbed the "Venice of Milan". "[Navigli attracts] students who follow sports so it's not that easy for me to go there because I'll have people stopping me," he admits. "But with a cap and sunglasses I love going there. You've got many little bars. Some pretty cool shops as well."

Website: https://www.duomomilano.it/

Address: P.za del Duomo, 20122 Milano

Phone: +39 02 361 691

Instagram: @duomodimilano

Gasly is a self-professed lover of fashion, so it's no surprise that he loves living in Italy's fashion mecca. "[The Milanesi] love their suits," says Gasly. "The first time I came here, I was with my family, and I told them, 'How come all these people look so beautiful?' Every single woman or man was so well-dressed. They put lot of effort in making sure that they look great. And I quite like it because it creates a standard; you've got to look after yourself if you want to fit in."

Milan is teeming with designer shops and indie boutiques – Gasly often comes upon new designers "just walking my dog down streets I usually don't go down". But the speedster finds himself most often in the Quadrilatero della moda – Milan's fashion district – so-called because it forms the junction between four of Milan's most prestigious shopping streets. "It's pedestrian streets so you can go walking through there and you have every single brand that you can think of," says Gasly. "You have everything… like Via Montenapoleone with all the big brands, which are pretty nice."

Milan offers multitudes of culinary experiences, from classic Milanese dishes like osso buco (braised veal shank) and risotto alla Milanese (risotto with saffron) to top-notch sushi, a recent local craze. Gasly loves Milan's culinary scene: "I'm a foodie," he proclaims. "Even though it doesn't really match with my work; I gotta be very strict with nutrition. I'm a pasta guy, though. One place I love bringing people is Osteria da Fortunata."

Osteria da Fortunata serves southern Italian fare in the Brera neighbourhood. There's always a long queue, but Gasly is undeterred: "It's the best pasta. You see them literally making it from the streets through the window. It doesn't look fancy; it's quite a small place, it's just wooden tables, but the food is incredible; definitely worth the 30- to 40-minute queue. I'm an F1 driver and I'm happily doing the queue to get my pasta." His hack? "There's another location in Moscova with less queue."

Gasly's go-to cheat meal is gnocchi alla Sorrentina; Sorrento-style gnocchi smothered with tomato sauce, basil and melted mozzarella cheese. "If I go for a cheat meal with my girlfriend, we'll take one carbonara, one gnocchi alla Sorrentina and then we are done for the day."

Gasly also likes Beefbar, a swanky steakhouse on Corsa Venezia in the lavish Portrait Milano Hotel. "I was there last night," he says. "It's a really cool location. You have an inside court in an old building which they refurnished as a boutique hotel. It's maybe not authentic Italian, but it's a great location, great food."

Website: https://www.osteriadafortunata.it/

Address:Via della Moscova, 52, 20121 Milano

Phone: +39 0250033307

Instagram: @osteria_da_fortunata_italia

For a romantic night out, Gasly recommends La Gioia, a refined seafood restaurant so intimate that it enforces a strict no photo policy. "I absolutely love La Gioia," says Gasly. "[It has] a wide variety of pasta which is incredible."

Like Osteria da Fortunata, La Gioia is located in idyllic, tree-lined Brera, one of interior design-obsessed Gasly’s favourite neighbourhoods that's home to Palazzo Brera, a stunning 14th-Century Baroque building and former Jesuit school that also houses the illustrious Pinoteca fine art museum and prestigious Milanese cultural institutions including the Brera Academy. "I love walking around in Brera because you find all these interior design shops with lightnings and furniture and all type of home furniture," he says.

Upping the romance factor, Brera's pedestrian-friendly cobblestone streets and lush greenery give it a slightly bohemian feel, while its many cafes, galleries and fashionable boutiques make it feel like its own little world. 

Website: https://www.lagioiasanmarco.com/

Address: Via S. Marco, 38, 20121 Milano

Phone: +39 3888839951

Instagram: @lagioia_sanmarco

With his stringent training schedule, Gasly admits that he's not a huge expert on nightlife. "Milan isn't massive for nightlife. But you do have some great spots."

Gasly's first choice for unwinding is the Bar at Ralph Lauren on the elegant boutique-lined Via della Spiga in the Quadrilatero della moda district. The bar and restaurant, opened in 2021, serves upscale bar food, wine by the glass and ample aperitivi in a space handsomely decorated in mahogany and cream. "It has a nice garden," says Gasly. "So, if you go shopping and you just want to stop for a drink, or refresh middle of the afternoon that's the best spot."

In Milan's city centre, Gasly also cites La Bullona as a prime spot for Saturday night dinner and drinks. "La Bullona has a great atmosphere," he says of the tony seafood restaurant and nightclub carved out of a 1929 Liberty-style train station. "They've got a DJ, nice food and it's great to go there before if you feel like going out." He adds: "Usually my night ends after La Bullona and then my friends go crazy, longer hours."

His ultra-insider, super exclusive nightclub pick? "Justme Milano," he says. "The nights after Formula One; that's where they do the after party."

Website: https://www.bullona.com/

Address: Via Piero della Francesca, 64, 20154 Milano

Phone: +39 0233607600

Instagram: @la_bullona

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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