PostDelicious

The aperitivo, a little drink before the evening meal, has long since become an institution, especially in northern and central Italy. It is both a ritual and en element of the joy of living.

People meet with friends or associates in one of the countless little bars in order to male new personal or business contacts, to nourish ongoing ones or simply to take a little break between the business day and family life – as well as to be seen socially and show off the bella figura a ubiquitous Italian phrase that – in this case – means that you are entirely up-to-date and know the right people and places.

The festive start to evening leisure time is particularly popular in Milan, the elegant glamorous capital of Lombardy. Italy’s second largest city is a business, fashion and media centre. What is trendy here is sure to become part of life in the nation’s other metropolies soon. And, incidentally, Milan is said to be the birthplace of aperitivo.

The fact is that in the bars and cafes around the cathedral, anyone who is important – or wants to be(long) – shows up for a little glass of something. Whether standing or sitting on a comfortable stool in front of a cafe in Italy’s most beautiful shopping district, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Milanese partake in the national sport of people-watching, and not only at aperitivo time.

If Milan is the centre of aperitivo, the Galleria is the centre of Milan. Ever since its grand opening in 1867, it connected the plaza in front of Milan cathedral with La Scala opera house. The arcade consists of two shopping passages, and paved with marble floors, covered by an arching steel-and-glass roof. A glass dome, with internal dimensions equal to those of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, curves over the point where the lanes intersect.

Why not recreate some Italian culture in your home with these two easy and delicious recipes: polenta biscuits and a tuna pasta recipe. Buon Appetito!