In news from Italy this week we get everything from the possibility of natural disasters to gossip over Italian football coaches and in the meantime you’d think Carla Bruni was Italy’s first lady for all the attention she gets in the press here. See the news below:

AC Milan coach Allegri illegally parks in Milan

We’ve seen the kind of parking that is “acceptable” in Rome, and while Milan is a busy city too, generally the northerners are slightly more disciplined. In the photo above, though, we see AC Milan coach, Massimiliano Allegri parking in a no-parking zone near a pedestrian crossing, in the opposite direction to a one-way street. And nearly risking an accident as he pulls away in his Audi A1.

A Roman Holiday for earthquake scare

After news broke that Lazio and Rome was facing a possible earthquake, the city either went into fright or went into holiday mode. With people avoiding built-up areas (and therefore office blocks), when the earthquake never really happened, a figure of 20 percent absenteeism from work in Rome was recorded. Apparently excuses displayed in closed shop windows included the following: “closed for family reasons”, “closed for wedding”, and simply “reopening tomorrow”.

More news from Italy this week after the jump.

Continue reading: AC Milan coach parks illegally and Woody Allen says Carla Bruni is pregnant

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For the second edition of NavigaMi, a boat show which every year takes place in the heart of Milan, the city ‘s “grand canal” was turned into a big harbor; with more than 50 boats on display, it was really lovely to stroll down the Naviglio and pretend that it was the sea. So if you did not have the chance to visit the show last week (60 boat builders were present at the event), don’t miss the next edition, it will take your breath away.

Continue reading: NavigaMi boat show, Milan

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According to Novella 2000 magazine, Robbie Williams will soon buy a house in one of Milan’s most fashionable districts (Santa Babila). The British pop singer who has rejoined his former band-mates in Take That for a world tour will hold a concert in Milan next July. But apparently Robbie Williams fell in love with the Italian city just a year ago when he put in an appearance on X Factory Italy to perform one of his chart topping singles. Located just above Abercrombie & Fitch, the luxury 260 square metre flat features 5 bedrooms, a huge terrace 100 square metres in size and a state of the art security camera system. Furnished with late 19th century English antiques, the flat owned by a rich businessman will set the singer back over 8 million euros. As with all rumors, there are several variations and sometimes they turn out to be just a complete fabrication. Last year for instance the rumours that David Beckham and his wife Victoria wanted to buy house in Milan were proven false, so stay tuned for more updates.

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After the Salone del Mobile celebrated the best in design at Milan’s fiera and throughout the city, the fashion centre of Italy is now preparing itself for the 2011 Milano Food Week. Plenty of events open to the public will be available to taste the best in regional Italian cooking, including special menus and Italian cocktails on offer, and cooking classes and demonstrations.

If you’re really interested, you can become part of the Milano Food Lovers association, getting a special pass costing €15 and exclusive access to the events and discounts during the food week. More than 200 Milan restaurants and bars will be participating, so there is plenty to see - and eat!

The Milano Food Week runs from May 7 to May 15 and you can find all the various events - wine tastings, cooking demonstrations and happy hour in Milan - at the Milano Food Week website.

Video | You Tube

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The Archaeological Museum of Milan now hosts a room with an exhibition dedicated to food. The exhibition includes aspects of food of ancient times until the modern era and is titled “Nutrire il corpo e lo spirito” or “nourish the body and the spirit”. Its purpose is to show that while, throughout the ages, eating has been primarily to survive, we can trace our human origins through the different types of food and culinary traditions that have changed over the centuries.

The new space for the archaeological museum’s food exhibit is in the 16th century crypt under the church of San Maurizio Maggiore. It can be reached by passing through an underground passage that lies under the Roman walls of Milan. The exhibition explores new ways of building community through food and drink, social relations at the table and how culinary traditions are linked to family and spiritual life.

You can find Milan’s archaeological museum at number 15, Corso Magenta. It is close to the Cadorna metro station, but can also be reached on foot from the Duomo, passing the old markets of Milan and making your way along streets featuring boutique stores and cafés. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 9am to 5:30pm.

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Milan Design Week features a Mimmo Paladino exhibition at the Palazzo Reale and in the Piazza Duomo. The “Salt Mountain” monumental piece from Paladino is in front of the building, near the Duomo, and is part of an exhibition open until July 10. It is part of many scenes you can see on the streets of Milan, including the Moka coffee maker to celebrate 150 years of Italian unification, a Banana Republic piece of orange chairs called “Not do Fragile” and an Arcimboldo head by Philip Haas. See our gallery of Milan Design Week street art.

Continue reading: Milan Design Week: Mimmo Paladino at the Duomo and Milan street scenes

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A couple of days ago king Giorgio played the host in his exclusive Armani Casa boutique in Milan; the store was full of whispering women dressed to the nines and with a glass of white wine in their hands; there were lots of ahs and ohs as they walked among the furniture on show. The theme was “Country and town houses”; at first everything looked austere, almost monastic in style, after all we all Know Giorgio Armani love of minimalism, but at a clooser look one would discover a different world, where a detail -say on a vase, table lamp or cutlery set- would give out an unexpected, friendly warmth. Giorgio Armani was right once again: true luxury is about understatement.

Milan’s Fuorisalone 2011: the timeless style of Armani Casa

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Inaugurated in May 2003, the Gray Hotel in Milan became almost instantly a great favourite with the jet set. Located in the city centre, only steps from Piazza Duomo and the famous Teatro della Scala, the hotel provides guests with excellent service, luxurious amenities and stylish suites which feature, among other things, four-post canopy beds, exercise equipments and sauna (each individual room is distinctive in its perspective, via unique artwork).

The hotel, a chic Town-house hotel in Art Nouveau style to which they have just added a new wing entirely made of glass, offers additional guest facilities such as a restaurant and bar; here guests can relax and sink into deep cushioned sofas while sipping a superb mojto prepared by Pedro Fiol.

Luxury Milan Hotels: The Gray hotel, near the Duomo

Continue reading: Luxury Milan Hotels: the Gray hotel, near the Duomo

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Milan’s amazing trade fair, the Salone del Mobile, has started, marking a busy time in the city with international visitors from the world of design. There is a fair dash of fashion thrown in too, with some Milan shops participating in the “Fuorisalone” - or the occasional instalments that make part of the exhibition outside the Milan Fiera halls.

In these pics we can see the Milan Pucci boutique displaying a work by Felice Limosani called Mirror Thinking. The shop windows feature a play on mirrors and geometric shapes, and Limosani on his site explains his work by saying:

I create stories to inspire and stimulate the imagination of a brand, of an area or place. A mix between design thinking, artistic metaphors and contemporary communication.

Limosani has collaborated with other retail outlets and brands including Coin and Tod’s, and this is a good opportunity to do some shopping in Milan and check out a part of the Salone del Mobile while you’re there.

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Upmarket real estate agency Engel&Völkers is selling luxury Milan loft apartments through its historic town centre branch. One of the Milan apartments in New York style is being sold in the Corso Sempione district. The modern apartment is in an historic building and has contemporary furnishings over three floors, totalling 360 m2.

The large, well-lit living space looks onto the apartment block’s green space, and is separated from the large kitchen by a glass wall. It was part of the old factory that the building used to be, and has been preserved as a characteristic tribute to the apartment’s past. The first floor of the loft apartment has three large bedrooms and as many bathrooms, while a semi-basement level offers laundry, games room, fitness area and relaxation zone with spa bath.

In the same Corso Sempione district, another Milan loft is for sale in a similar industrial size building. The apartment has 300 m2 of space and has been built in an open space style with luxury finishes and modern furnishings. The city of fashion and its equally fashionable apartments don’t come cheap - this particular loft costs €1,470,000.

Luxury Milan loft apartments for sale

Continue reading: Luxury loft apartments on sale in Milan

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