This Editor’s Note originally appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. Members receive access to more than 190 back issues—if you’re not a member, join here.
It has been well past time for me personally to revisit Milan and to do so in this magazine. I was lucky enough to return earlier this year for a quick weekend at the Westin Palace Milan.
But to truly sum up the current pulse in Milano, especially for travelers, I called on our regular contributor Kevin Raub to describe how Italy’s business and fashion capital continues to surprise. You won’t find the usual Italy here: pasta is not a signature dish on the Milanese table and the city’s main attractions are not thousands of years old. Milan is new and cosmopolitan, a hotbed of Italian style-trends and multicultural influences, and is, above all, worth a visit.
For various reasons in the past year, Milan is, lately, my point of arrival and my last stop in Italy. Because I had a healthy balance in Marriott Bonvoy points, with status, I set out to both use some points and accumulate some more at four properties under the Marriott umbrella in and around the city.
Two of those trips in the past year included my late, great soulmate dog, Phineas Orazio McCabe. Though he passed away in March, just two weeks after our last trip to Italy together, it has taken me this long to find the words to express what our travels meant to me. They were life-changing. I hope if the opportunity ever presents itself to you, that you, too, will bring your dog, or dogs, to Italy. What a fresh perspective the experience gives!
Finally, I’m excited by our first use of a QR code—on our back cover. Look for more of this integration, where it makes sense, in future issues.
I always welcome your feedback, questions and comments, so feel free to reach out to me at kathy@dreamofitaly.com
–Kathy McCabe