Isola Milan: The Creative Neighbourhood Guide for Food, Design & Nightlife

Isola — "island" in Italian, named for its historical isolation from the rest of Milan by a railway cutting — has become Milan's most fashionable creative neighbourhood, an urban village of cobblestone streets, independent restaurants, concept stores, and design studios that has attracted a new generation of Milanese who couldn't afford the Brera but wanted the same energy. Since the 2015 Expo, Isola has been transformed by investment and its proximity to the new Porta Nuova business district — but it has managed to retain a genuine neighbourhood character and independence that makes it far more interesting than its polished neighbour.

The neighbourhood's commercial heart is Via Borsieri and the surrounding streets, where independent shops selling artisan ceramics, natural cosmetics, and independent fashion sit alongside excellent bars and restaurants that serve the local population as much as the design crowd. The BASE Milano creative hub and the Spazio Maiocchi design gallery are the neighbourhood's principal cultural anchors, regularly hosting exhibitions, events, and pop-ups that draw people from across the city. The neighbourhood's Saturday market at the local piazza is a casual affair selling organic food, vintage clothing, and handmade crafts.

Isola's eating and drinking scene has evolved from basic neighbourhood trattorie into something more ambitious while preserving affordability. Several of Milan's most interesting new restaurants have opened here, drawn by lower rents and an appreciative local clientele willing to try new things. The neighbourhood's aperitivo scene — concentrated along Via Borsieri and the parallel Via Pollaiuolo — is excellent and considerably less performative than the equivalent in more fashionable Brera. Isola is served by the Isola metro station on line M5.