Milan is Italy’s fashion capital, home to la alta moda and the headquarters of legendary luxury fashion houses like Versace, Giorgio Armani, and Dolce Gabbana. The city is a dichotomy in it’s own right – on one hand, it’s a sleek, modern metropolis where skyscrapers crawl with dense vegetation, and on the other, it’s rife with ancient history and architecture, embodied primarily by the imposing Milan Duomo. What better way to soak it all in than with a carefully crafted cocktail on a rooftop bar with 360-degree views of Milan’s warring modern and ancient essences?
America Domani has compiled a short list of five of Milan’s hottest rooftop bars for your next trip to the country’s fashion capital. Cin cin!
Ceresio 7
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This luxurious rooftop bar comes with two swimming pools, lounge chairs, cabanas, an American bar, and a fine-dining restaurant. It’s located in the Garibaldi district and offers glittering 360-degree views of Milan’s skyline that compliments a wide range of fine mixology cocktails.
SunEleven Rooftop
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This casual rooftop bar is decorated with lots of greenery, pastel colors, and funky LED signs. Located steps away from the Milan Duomo and offering 360-degree views of the city center, it’s an ideal pick for those looking to sample craft beers, mixology cocktails, and tapas in a relaxed and unpretentious setting.
Terrazza Aperol
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The name of this rooftop bar alone will give away its best feature: the Aperol Spritz. With views of the Milan Duomo, Terrazza Aperol is completely dedicated to one of the country’s hottest drinks, and the bar's muted sleek, and modern decor is accented with bright pops of orange.
La Rinascente Rooftop
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This rooftop bar might have the best view of the Milan Duomo around. Perched on top of La Rinascente, an upscale shopping mall with a rooftop food hall serving bites from several restaurants and bars, it’s a great spot to take in the Duomo’s architectural details on a warm, sunny day, or in the evening with a cocktail or two.
The VIU Terrace
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Located on the top of the upscale Hotel VIU, this elegant rooftop has a pool, lounge furniture, a cocktail bar, and 360-degree views of the city skyline. During the day, the rooftop terrace and its pool are reserved exclusively for guests, but the area opens up to the general public in the evening for a luxurious aperitivo backdropped by sunset.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.