We are talking about a street full of history here in Milan where today the windows of historic pastry shops are face to face with freshly made dumplings with sudden aromas of spicy fried chicken which are strongly contrasted by the flying doughs of those who have decided to showcase the art of making Ramen.
I hope that in such few seconds I have caught your attention and made you hungry enough to accompany me on this trip to Via Paolo Sarpi. I warn you, the choices are vast and the decisions to be made are many. Will we be able to control our greedy instincts for a few kilometres?
Via Paolo Sarpi should be divided as follows: we dedicate one kilometre to the savoury and the extra kilometre to digest and finally end up at Milan’s historic Martesana-style pastry shop. Kilometers have never made so much sense. I booked my stay for the duration of my trip in Milan on this street precisely to live in an international neighbourhood in an Italian city. I highly recommend staying in this neighbourhood not only for the food scene that is magnificent, it’s also central enough to get around walking, if you adore to walk, or simply hop on the subway and off to the Duomo you go.
If you only have one “lunch” of time this is how you street food at Via Paolo Sarpi:
We begin this journey right off with the first appetiser of the day at La Ravioleria Sarpi.
At @Laravioleriasarpi be careful not to be enchanted by the magic of handmade dumplings as we have a long way to go and so much more to try. I know its difficult but if you only have a day we must make room for it all. One bite is enough to understand the serenity of the smiling girls who continue to knead intrigued by our faces waiting for our true reactions. Proud of their products we congratulate them with a mega chapeau smiling with sauce between the teeth fighting against the mind that is trying to manipulate you to just have one more round. It is truly up to you I could never judge.
During travel spontaneity often occurs that puts you to the test – Duck’s Necks.
Here we are in front of a window just a few shops down that may seem like the title of a horror movie “Duck’s Necks”. I then hear my mother and then my louder grandmothers voice in the back of my head persistently stating: you must try everything or you will never know. That phrase “you will never know” gets me every time it’s like a battle I am so not going to lose. So, yeah it persuades me out of my comfort zone. let’s take this moment seriously as we are not running away for our lives, we are troopers and we are here to appreciate cultural diversity through taste. I assure you that the first bite will become that of a long series. See you truly just never know. My video was cut short because I choked in the moment and was really scared for my life also part of spontaneous occurrences during travel.
We continue this journey fusion style; it’s time for the “main course”.
Handmade ramen with a heart-warming meat broth or a fresh sushi burrito as a novelty? This is up to you. I only had space for one but definitely would make room for both next time. So I went ahead and praised the fusion idea behind @fusho_original who I like to imagine obviously couldn’t choose between a sushi and a burrito (I am sure we have all been there) and just said what the heck you shouldn’t have to choose and found a solution to quite the problem. Sometimes great ideas come from small moments, you know. With that said this idea to me is brilliantly convenient. It is comfortable to eat you as you can easily walk and take a bite at the same time. You don’t need to dip or anything flavours and sauces are where they needs to be. You can go halves with someone willing to try a different flavour and you can even be creative enough to take on your visualisation of the perfect sushi burrito. Their tag line is light like a sushi and delicious like a burrito. Couldn’t agree more.
At this point you are in extreme need of digestion so wonder in the Asian supermarkets to make room for what is next to come.
These supermarkets reminded me of all the afternoons I would spend in Chinatown in New York trying to figure out what to buy but always played is safe with seaweed chips. Inside the elegant supermarket ( you can’t miss it there are only two on the street) I tried more dumplings. I needed to have more for the times I knew I would miss them. You can buy dumplings in bulk here and freeze away for a lifetime supply, talking to all you Milano peeps. I love supermarkets so much it is the first place I visit when I travel therefore in Via Paolo Sarpi this magical encounter of two Asian supermarkets is something that honestly does not happen often in Italy. In a supermarket where everything is unfamiliar actually feels the most inspiring to me. It is a way to remind yourself how big the world is and how small we are compared to it. If you need specific ingredients to give some home recipes a go or simply just an instant pot noodle this is where you need to explore. Fill up your suitcase with what you think you’re buying to be totally surprised later on.
As I mentioned before if you don’t try you just will never know.
The best for last.
The trip is about to end we have to go back to Italy and nostalgia is already hitting but we have saved “the best for last” a classic I would say.
Here the journey ends in front of the pristine window of the historic Milanese pastry shop la Martesana that recently opened this location in 2015 in Via Paolo Sarpi but the family business runs since 1966 for a total of now three locations. I end this day here with my mouth watering leaving you to view and imagine your order during the magical showcase of pastries galore that you can find in the video below on the left giving you an extra incentive to start this international journey at Via Paolo Sarpi.
This is just a taste of what Via Paolo Sarpi has to offer for a day trip. I promise you once I return, I will go into immense detail about what this street truly has to offer. In the meantime, try what amused you so far and keep me posted with your favourites and your suggestions. If you would like to read my other article about great spots to eat and drink in Milan you can find the article at the link here (…..). For more behind the scenes of my trip to Milan you can check the highlights on my Instagram handle. Please feel free to reach out with any questions at all and I am more than happy to share my list of places to try in Milan that grows by the day for anyone interested in trying more places. Thank you for reading this far my heart explodes of gratitude.
Ciao for now,
Stefanie
