La Double J founder JJ Martin’s perfect day in Milan

This article is part of a guide to Milan from FT Globetrotter

During the week, I’m often racing between our headquarters on the Naviglio Grande canal to our store in the fashion district, so weekends are when I find time to settle in and explore the city.

An ideal Saturday for me would begin with a deep meditation practice, which is how I start each morning. A couple of times a week, my yoga teacher Marco Migliavacca comes to my home and customises a restorative energy and bodywork practice for me, which is a combination of yin and active yoga and meditation. (He also teaches yoga online and at studios in Milan, as well as hosts classes every Thursday at our store at 7.30pm, which I attend as often as I can.)

As soon as possible I like to get out into nature. Parco Sempione is right by my house, so I’ll often go for a run/walk with my dog Pepper (how fast we go is entirely dependent on Pepper’s enthusiasm on any given day). The park has extraordinary, enormous trees that I like to sit and meditate under, or I might visit its incredible Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio), which is right underneath Castello Sforzesco [closed now until next year]. The museum is the kind of place you might pass by in your taxi and never know it’s there. I love this about Milan — it has so many mysterious corners.

I always check in on my store at some point as inevitably I’ll have a friend who wants to drop in and try something on, and I also like to chat with the team and meet some of the newer customers who pop by. I prefer to have breakfast outdoors when I can; I love 10_11 at the Portrait Milano hotel for its excellent buffet breakfast with freshly squeezed juices, or I might opt for an avocado toast. The hotel has a beautiful garden and feels like a quiet oasis right in the heart of the fashion district.

For me, a perfect day is also about doing my shopping for the week. If I’m hosting a dinner and am behind on preparing the meal, or if my guests are omnivores, I pick up delicious meatballs from Macelleria Faravelli on Corso Italia. Locals call it “la gioielleria” (“jewellery store”) because of the beautiful curation of prepared foods and beautifully packaged goods they have (and because it’s so expensive). Every time I serve those meatballs my Italian guests are so impressed and will even admit they’re better than their grandmothers’. I do the rest of my grocery shopping at the Piazza Wagner complex, one of my favourite outdoor markets in the city with excellent butchers, fruttivendoli (greengrocers) and cheese stands. 

As for restaurants, La Latteria in the centro storico hits all the marks for me. It isn’t a “new” spot by any means, and over the years people have certainly heard about it, but it is one of my favourite restaurants for lunch or an early dinner for simple Milanese cuisine. I tend to order a classic, simple dish: brown rice with mozzarella and tomato with gallons of olive oil and any seasonal vegetables that they’re growing in their garden. 

Churches have become like energetic vessels for me, so, when I have time, I love to slip into one when there is no one there, no priest, no congregation. One of my favourites is San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore to take in its soaring painted ceiling. It’s often referred to as the Sistine Chapel of Milan — this is not hyperbole, it is truly the most sensational church in the city, if not northern Italy, and is eye-popping in every direction. I love to sit in a silent meditation moment there — it’s a place of artistic and creative inspiration, but also feels like a breath of fresh air for my soul.

In the early evening or late afternoon, I’ll go to see my friend Sina at his chic bar, Si Ma Townhouse (he’s also the bartender), on Corso di Porta Vigentina. I’m not a big drinker, so I tend to go for the cosy, intimate vibe (and an Aperol spritz if I’m in the mood).

Many Milanese like to skip town on the weekends, so the perfect end to a Saturday for me would probably be catching a train from Centrale and heading up to Passalacqua on Lake Como, my home away from home. My dear friend, Valentina De Santis, who owns the hotel, came to me to collaborate on the design of the bar and lounge area by the pool. It’s now this beautiful, surprising pop of print and colour amid this classic, elegant Italian property, like a jolt of joy. We recently opened an alfresco bar by the pool called “JJ’s Serra”. A dinner overlooking the lake here would be a dreamy way to close my ideal day.

JJ Martin is the founder of fashion and homeware brand La DoubleJ

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