Discovering Washington: everything at your fingertips

This is by far one of the most convenient residential neighbourhoods in town, with an elegant facade and a practical essence: its buildings are mostly from the 30s and 40s, though all renovated in order to fit among the more modern ones, creating a combination of stylish and sophisticated architecture. Moreover, the area offers everything one might need in terms of grocery stores, restaurants, bars and clothing shops. Also, the fact that lots of Milan’s most famous attractions are definitely within walking distance is considered a big plus by tourists. At the end of the day, a 2019 survey found that nearly all the residents of this neighbourhood would never trade it to live anywhere else in the city.

A brief history of fast urbanization

Contrary to other popular areas, the Western portion of the city used to be open fields with a handful of farms, the so-called “cascine”, up until the later portion of the XIX century. The many rivers and canals flowing through the farmland were essential to the first urban developments, which also took advantage of particular claypans in the lands together with gravel pits nearby. The industrialization took place at a super fast pace and in a matter of a few decades the neighbourhood was filled with brand new factories and adjacent housing for workers. Moreover, many convents, cooperatives and houses dedicated for the poors were built on this side of town at the end of the century and communications and transportation throughout the area was already present from the 1880s, with a steam tram line connecting it to the rest of the city. Heavily damaged during the war, the neighbourhood was then rebuilt and redesigned to welcome a strong drift of people from the countryside and continues to flourish up until today.

Don’t forget to:

Shop for fresh local products at Mercato Wagner, an historic symbol of the area from the 1920s.

Take a 20 minutes detour walk to Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is the iconic church that hosts one of the greatest symbols of Milan, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The Basilica is free and open Mon-Sat 9-12:20/15:30-17:50, Sun 16-17:50, but in order to see the painting you need to book your ticket through the museum of the “Cenacolo” website at this link, where you’ll also find some useful information about prices and reductions: https://cenacolovinciano.org/en/info/

Shop on Corso Vercelli for Made in Italy clothes and international brand designs, where you’ll find everything you’re looking for on a single strip.

Time for a snack!

The area is definitely filled with great places to stop by for a quick treat or a full dinner, but don’t forget the Esselunga grocery store on Via Washington, right next to our RELSTAY unit, where you can buy fresh products to cool yourself a nice meal as well as personal hygiene and cleaning supplies. With this being said, here are some recommendations in terms of local restaurants and bars:

For a sweet breakfast or a delicious dessert, Pasticceria Buonarroti won’t disappoint you: with a Belle Epoque style tea room inside, it’s the perfect place for a cup of hot chocolate and cake on a chilly winter day. Nevertheless, if you want to try the Italian “Amaretti”, we suggest you check out Pasticceria Moriondo on Via Marghera, which has been producing the little famous sweets since 1946.
For a quick brunch or an all day snack, Dedans will be the right choice for you: with its shabby chic look and French inspired menu, this cafe is open from 7:30 in the morning to 9 in the evening and offers great croissants and confitures as well as light rice bowls with veggies and proteins.
In Italy, it’s always time for pizza! Good thing you have Passione Pizzeria close by on Via Boni! They offer traditional as well as gourmet pizzas with fresh and local ingredients at both lunch and dinner time.
If you are down for a lazy night, just go out of your RELSTAY accommodation and you’ll find some eating options both on your left and right: respectively, Sciué is another good pizza place that also serves pasta and fish dishes; on the other side, Borgia has a good-looking location with a more sophisticated atmosphere and great quality food.
This neighbourhood is not usually associated with nightlife and bars, though if you know where to look you’ll surely find somewhere to hit on a cozy night out. For example, we suggest you drink a nice glass of wine at Il Vinaccio, where you can enjoy some relaxing time among wine lovers. If you want a bite to eat with your wine, we also recommend Nudo e Crudo Bistrò, where most of the products served are from Lombardy, Milan’s region.

Where to sleep? With us of course!

With RELSTAY, you can sleep right on Washington Street in our conveniently located accommodation. We offer a cozy one bedroom apartment with fast and unlimited free WiFi, a well equipped kitchen and a washing machine, which will give you hotel-like comforts in a home-like environment.

The RELSTAY experience is unique and grants high quality standards and amenities. With contactless digital self check-in and check-out and 24/7 real time assistance, you won’t have to worry about anything.

What are you waiting for?

Come and discover this vibrant district and book a RELSTAY stay!