MILAN’S SECRET ESCAPE
A chic beach-style resort on Milan’s doorstep? The secret to being seriously cool in Italy’s fashion capital this summer is out
BY KATHRYN TOMASETTI
Don those designer sunnies and head to Idroscalo to be as cool as
the Milanese – in every sense of the word!
An oasis in the city: Idroscalo is
Milan’s answer to New York’s
Central Park, and is the perfect
place for paddling, picnicing and
posingThe Milanese are famous for leaving town in late summer. The city’s huge business set are happy to pull on their Tod’s and trot off to Elba or Sardinia until early September. This conveniently leaves the city centre, complete with its freshly restored cathedral (the second largest in the world), free for the likes of us to explore. But where do the poor guys still manning the museums and mixing Martinis go to sunbathe?
“They go to Idroscalo,” explained the burly tourist-office clerk.
“Do you have any information on it?” I asked.
“Niente!” he laughed. “No tourists ever go to Idroscalo. It’s paradise!” Idroscalo (or Idropark Fila as it’s officially known) is a whacking great man-made lake, a 10-minute bus ride (or €25 taxi fare) east of town. It was carved out as a watery landing strip on the orders of Mussolini, who thought that sea planes would be the transport of the future. Never the sharpest knife in the drawer, his prediction was a wee bit off the mark, but the unwitting legacy is an 8km² zone of lake and forests where locals can swim, sail and party [see Festivals box opposite].
I first take in the lake scene with my early morning caffè macchiato (why can’t we make coffee this good?). The action is pretty self-explanatory; rows of brightly coloured pedalos, parasols and clear-blue skies, a fully fledged beach resort on Milan’s doorstep. Dragonflies zip around the reedy shoreline.
Suddenly two bronzed Adonises (Greek, not Roman, I know) dart out of the Boat Club at the lake’s northern end. Their oars are synched. Hawaii Five-0 style eye-candy stealing across the calm surface. They elicit a slight reaction from the trio of girls on the sun loungers by the shore. These signorine could be in Rimini or the Costa Smeralda; they’re topless, tanned and on their telephones.
A 6km footpath and cycle route circles the lake. A five-minute stroll north of the Milan-Idroscalo bus stop and it’s kid heaven. They’ve got trampolines, bouncy castles, an inflatable chicken and whale with opening mouth, swings and a jungle gym. The parallel bars look a bit daunting though, in a 1970s-Romanian-Olympic-training-camp kind of way. But if children love a day out at the beach, they’ll love it here. And what a treat to give them after a day at Milan’s classic-art museum, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, or a laborious bout of window shopping along Via della Spiga.
The north-eastern side of the lake is the trendiest. It’s lunchtime now, and I can smell it. Culinary barriers won’t be smashed at the six or seven restaurants dotted around Idroscalo any time soon. Rather, there’s tasty home-made pizzas, grilled sea-bass, spaghetti alla vongole (spaghetti with clams) and risotto ai fungi porcini (risotto with wild mushrooms), all eaten lakeside in the warm summer air.
There’s time for a cooling dip pre-lunch though. And what could be better than an open-air swimming pool? Three of them in a row, that’s what. The midweek entrance fee is €5, or €7 on Saturdays and Sundays when Milan’s coolest cats descend upon the lake. Think of the weekend price hike as a €2 “beautiful people supplement”. Like Capri in summer, things can get flirty poolside where thongs and buff pecs abound.
The open-air disco bars that surround Idroscalo’s southern edge more than make up for Milan’s quiet mid-summer party scene. But heading down here in daytime you’re more likely to pass a lycra-bound, iPod-toting jogger instead. Only the Milanese could turn running into a fashion statement. In fact, the fitness regime even has its own sexy pseudo-English name: “footing”. From a city where even schoolchildren wear sunglasses, this comes as no surprise.
Idroscalo’s quietest spots are further around in the south-western corner. Solo sunbathers are accompanied by birdsong. Contemplating the ride home it’s hard to believe this leafy enclave of sun, sports and hot-summer nights has gone undiscovered for so long. Milan’s mini-version of Lake Maggiore has it all.
FESTIVAL IN THE PARK
Until 7 September, there’s even more of a temptation to visit Idroscalo: “In Festa”. Highlights at this fun summer festival, held at various lakeside venues, include the Moscow City Ballet (1 August), Venezuelan salsa star Carlos Ugueto (7 August) and the Rock in Idro festival (30 and 31 August). For details, tel: +39 (0)2 7020 0902 or go to www.provincia.milano.it/idroscalo
OTHER PLACES TO BEAT THE HEAT
Despite its concrete jungle reputation, Milan has more than a few hidden respites from the sometimes oppressive summer sun. For a fantastically icy dip downtown, try the public pool/park Centro Balneare Estivo Caimi (Via Carlo Botta 18; open 10am-7pm from mid-June through to mid-Sept). As well as boasting a 50×25m pool, it also has a great kids’ paddling area with a fountain in the middle. Alternately, the historical Piscina Solari (Via Montevideo 20; open daily from mid-June through to mid-Sept; hours vary) sits below a bubble-shaped glass roof. The piazza surrounding it is also stuffed with plenty of climbing frames, swings and roundabouts.
GETTING THERE
For some cool summer fun, take off with bmibaby to Milan (Bergamo). Flights depart from Birmingham and fares start at just £24.99 one-way, incl taxes. For more details, log on to www.bmibaby.com
