Destination: Italy : SoHo Milano : The neighborhood of Brera is a hidden treasure of art galleries, coffee bars and elegant shops

There is an old saying in Milan that goes something like this: “If you don’t know how to spend a day, just go to Brera.”

More or less in the center of town, between the castle (Castello Sforzesco) and the cathedral (the Duomo), Brera is one of the most charming and relaxing neighborhoods in the city. Within its magical circle are little, shy streets lined with art galleries and elegant shops, quiet lanes housing cozy inns, and restaurants serving delicious homemade desserts. Here one is likely to run into artists, stylists and musicians, or come across a fortuneteller sitting at his or her open-air table, waiting for customers.

The area is often referred to as “Milan’s Greenwich Village.” But my favorite sobriquet is “the SoHo of Milan,” which speaks to the quarter’s high concentration of galleries devoted to modern and contemporary art, and a social scene that’s reminiscent of the lower west side of Manhattan (south of Houston Street).

At its heart lies the gallery Pinacoteca di Brera and the art school which, since 1800, has attracted and formed generations of painters and other artists. All around, quaint streets are filled with craft shops and coffee bars, some of which have become legendary for the writers and intellectuals who hung out there in the ‘30s. The city’s better-known intellectuals and artists still have their studios here.

As a native Milano, and a writer, I go to Brera often to interview authors or visit galleries for art reviews. But I also like coming here to relax, especially for walks in the late-afternoon light of summer. And last year, when I lived and wrote in New York City, I found that the part of Manhattan around Gramercy Park--SoHo--reminded me of Brera.

On Sundays from April on, those in the know find seats in the open air at Bar Brera (at the corner of Via Brera and Via Fiori Chiari), sip cappuccinos and enjoy the parade of sightseers and preeners. It is like being in a cozy living room with no roof. The hustle and bustle of the larger city is all around, yet distant as (lucky) you pause in a world of art and beauty.

The history of this neighborhood--which lies between Via dell’Orso and Largo Treves, and between Via Mercato and Via Borgonuovo--traces to the 13th Century when some members of the Umiliati, a Lombard brotherhood, began to build cloisters on meadowlands and orchards (or braida , from which the name Brera is derived). Today three churches have survived from medieval times on three squares not too distant from one another. They still stand silent and peaceful, their old, red Roman bricks glowing against the sun, while the city has grown up around them over the years.

My favorite is San Simpliciano, the most secret of the three, as it is hidden among residential buildings and facing its theatrical square, Piazza San Simpliciano. To one side, a shop, L’Imballaggio, sells beautifully designed gift wrap and other paper goods.

Via Brera, the neighborhood’s main street, is filled mostly with art galleries (some, like Brera 3, facing inner gardens) and exclusive shops for women and teen-age girls, such as those who dress only from the chic shop called Naj Oleari. The residential buildings are in the typical style of the area, a mixture of austerity and elegance, with facades in faded yellow, ocher or brownish red, with gray shutters. They house apartments with steep prices, according to the talkative doorman at No. 8, with its inner yard and private garden.

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The street of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher (Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro) is in some ways a typical example of the surprises of the area. On it resides a cloister that even people living in the area barely know about. It was built in the 16th Century by Benedictine monks and today “is the place where future priests study and pray,” according to Don Silvano Macchi. “Therefore visitors are not allowed.”

But the cloister--which is nameless--has high walls and a few little windows, and snooping through them at the point where the street pavement rises, you can see the beautiful garden surrounded by the typical arches of the building.

In truth, the real essence of Brera is similarly hidden, off the main streets. It’s in the flavor of little yards, little craft shops and old restaurants, an ancient world full of memories and nostalgia. But one has to look in order to find the secret spots.

So abandon for a moment the gloss and glitter of the main street Via Solferino or the posh Via Brera, and take one of the silent cobblestoned lanes such as Via del Carmine. Walking on the round pebbles--still part of the old pavement over which horse carriages traveled--you will see a lovely piazza and a building with typical dormer windows. The building houses La Cesta, a popular restaurant that attracts a colorful crowd about midday. Here you can try the daily menu, called colazione di lavoro (“lunch for people who work”) a reasonable-for-Brera, fixed-price menu.

While relaxing at one of La Cesta’s open-air tables, look at the facade and rose windows of the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, No. 2 of the city’s three medieval churches. Here, on Saturday mornings about 10:30, one can rest on the church benches and listen to the sounds of organ, violin and chorus rehearsing for a wedding--as the young society women of Milan usually choose to be married here or at the church of San Marco, the third surviving medieval church.

There are two other little lanes one shouldn’t miss. One is called Fiori Chiari (fair flowers), and the other Fiori Scuri (dark flowers), perhaps so named because for years it attracted the followers of Casanova to its brothels. Today the street has kept a sort of dark look, always lying in shadow, some shops and buildings half closed down with crusty doors from which one could imagine a Mr. Hyde creeping out at night. The old pharmacy of the neighborhood and an artists’ paint shop, a traditional stop for novice and experienced painters, stand at opposite ends of the street.

The most beautiful and famous lane, of course, is Via Fiori Chiari, along which on Sunday afternoons, or at night on the weekends, one comes across fortunetellers who sit waiting for business with their professional tools: lighted candles and golden cards.

But this narrow lane is lined with a lot of fascinating spots. Look at the frame store, Sabatelli, at No. 5, full of every kind of old wooden frame including the golden ones of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Or just pop in at No. 14 to enjoy the small yard. On the third Saturday of each month, a fine antiques fair, displaying mainly silver, old prints and other curiosities, is held along this lane near Via Brera.

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The street of the fair flowers is filled with numerous restaurants too. The oldest, and full of atmosphere, is Franco il Contadino (the farmer), with old agricultural instruments hanging all over the granular white walls, dark floors and wood furniture. Another good place is Becco Rosso, with the same rural ambience, but smaller and less elegant. Then there is Il Cestino on the corner of Via Formentini. An old typewriter welcomes you at the entrance. Try the specialties of Milan here--that is to say, the risotto and osso buco .

But the best-kept secret of Brera in the matter of eating places is Grand’Italia, hidden on Via Palermo, near the Moscova Metro station. Grand’Italia offers slices of crispy pizza or whole meals at red marble tables in two dining rooms furnished in the typical Lombard style, with wall fittings of the ‘30s and dark brown chairs. Try to choose from the daily menu displayed on the board, which usually offers smoky risotto, pastas, fish or meat at affordable prices. Or look at the menu, which doubles as a paper tablecloth, featuring salads with artistic names such as Dante (lettuce, onion and tomatoes with chicken), Leopardi (mixed fresh vegetables, shrimp and mozzarella) and Michelangelo (with a spicy sauce). But many of the local folk, chatting friends and colleagues, come here to enjoy desserts--homemade like the bread--some with enchanting names such as isola galleggiante con crema pasticcera (“the floating island amid cream”).

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To find the more commercial, newer Brera, stroll along Via Solferino, on which some of the old shops have been replaced but some remain, as evidenced by the black and gold sign announcing the grocer. Numerous clothing and shoe shops offer quality at more affordable prices than are asked on Via Brera. A little shop called La Spelta (La Scarpa di Spelta), with part of its workshop in the back yard, is very popular with women of the area, who come to order the typical two-toned shoes.

If you collect little liquor bottles, you could be interested in walking up farther to the old, elegant wine shop, Cotti, which displays the liquid of Bacchus on romantic shelves of the late 18th Century. In front of the shop, as evening approaches, one gets a romantic view--the result of the light coming from lovely Ristorante Solferino at Via Castelfidardo No. 2. With its lace curtains and typical old wood shutters, it’s a place much loved by foreigners living in Milan.

At the same address but through another entrance, a spiral staircase leads to the reception area for the inn Antica Locanda Solferino, an old pensione that offers a few simple but charming rooms.

And there is still another spot in Brera worth seeing. Half-hidden in an old faded yellow building that stands to one side of the Church of San Marco, N’Ombra de Vin (meaning, “just a drop of wine”) is another of the best-kept secrets of the neighborhood. The woman who lives in the area and needs a special wine for special dinner guests will come here for advice. As will the bank clerk who loves oenology so much that he takes classes to learn how to combine wine and food or joins exclusive tours arranged by the store to ancient abbeys and their vineyards.

But the main reason for a short visit to the shop is in its cellar. As you reach the bottom of the ladder, a puff of cool air and the perfume of the corks welcomes you. Actually it’s a little like entering a mystical place, as this is the refectory where Augustinian monks used to eat in the 14th Century. From the small windows high in the walls, filtered sunlight illuminates the ancient, wavy and buckled red floors, original as the columns that divide the large room that houses wines slumbering in their bottles. If you ask the manager, Arnaldo Marini, a stylish middle-age man with glasses and impeccable jacket, which special wines are carried by the shop, he replies calmly: “Just high quality.”

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GUIDEBOOK

In the Brera Patch

Getting there: From Los Angeles to Milan, Alitalia has the only nonstop; American flies direct; Alitalia, American, Delta, KLM, Lufthansa, Swissair, TWA and United have connecting service. Lowest round-trip fares begin at about $1,180, including tax.

To reach the Brera district, take Metro No. 3 (yellow line) to the Montenapoleone stop.

Where to stay: Antica Locanda Solferino, Via Castelfidardo, 2; telephone from U.S. 011-39-2-657-0129 or 011-39-2-659-2706. Eleven rooms with double beds; about $100 per room including taxes and breakfast.

Hotel Ariosto, Via Ariosto 22; tel. 011-39-2-481-7844. In an elegant area near Santa Maria delle Grazie; about $110 per room, $8 for breakfast.

Where to eat: La Cesta, Piazza Carmine 1, tel. locally 8646-1234; about $20 for a three-course menu (pasta or meat, salad, dessert).

Franco il Contadino, Via Fiori Chiari 18/20, tel. 877-121; about $30 for three courses.

Becco Rosso, Via S. Carpoforo 7, tel. 864-60059; about $25 for three-course menu.

Il Cestino, Via Madonnina 27, tel. 864-60146; about $25 three-course menu.

Grand’Italia, Via Palermo 5, tel. 877-759; about $12 per person.

Ristorante Solferino, Via Castelfidardo 2; tel. 659-9886; about $25 per person.

What to see: The art gallery, or Pinacoteca di Brera, Via Brera 28, tel. 722-631; Tues. to Sat. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sundays 9 a.m.-12:15; admission $5.

Many private art galleries along Via Brera, Via del Carmine and Via Ciovasso.

The Church of San Simpliciano, Piazza San Simpliciano 7, tel. 862-274; Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, Piazza del Carmine 2, tel. 8646-3365; Church of San Marco, Piazza San Marco 2, tel. 2900-2598.

For more information: Italian Government Tourist Board, 12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Los Angeles 90025; (310) 820-0098, fax (310) 820-6357.