With designer stores a plenty, vintage boutiques, fantastic food, art and grand architecture, Milan is the perfect place to enjoy a stylish weekend away. Start your trip by checking into the Bulgari Milano Hotel, which many of the city's visitors are happy to call home during the Milan Fashion Week (September).
Housed in a very tastefully renovated 18th-century Milanese palazzo in the heart of the shopping district, it's an excellent base for exploring one of Italy's most liveable, and shopping friendly cities.
With that in mind, there really is no excuse not to start your break with a little window shopping, and with Milan's boutiques conveniently fitting into a square known as the Quadrilatero d'Oro, it makes finding those designer must-haves so much easier.
On adjacent Via della Spiga you'll find a whole host of sought-after names, as you will if you head a block west to the Via Montenapoleone: everything from Fendi and Prada to Gucci and Christian Dior.
The fashion-pack's preferred pitstop is the elegant Baglioni Cafè on Via della Spiga - laid out like a drawing room and perfect for a refreshing aperitif.
Beyond the big labels, make a beeline for 10 Corso Como, founded 26 years ago by former fashion magazine editor Carla Sozzani, to allow shoppers to get their hands on cutting-edge labels such as Maison mragiela, Alexander McQueen and MSGM; be sure to pause for a drink in the vine-strewn garden cafè.
Also check out the bohemian Brera, the artistic heart of the city, you'll find Milan's legendary vintage boutique, Cavalli E Nastri brimming with museum-worthy Dior, Pucci and Gucci pieces.