By Aleyna Doğan
Visiting Milan for one week with my boyfriend was the best experience, and my Canon Canonet 28 made sure I captured the liveliness and happiness of the city.
Milan is the most architecturally photogenic city I have ever seen. Every street made me put my finger on the shutter. Even the markets are beautifully decorated. Colours are brighter there. People are happier.
Italians are kind. Coffee is amazing (and cheap!). Food is delicious. After spending 20 years in a chaotic city like Istanbul, it was interesting to see people who actually enjoy life. After work, many hang out in cafes and linger over an apperativo – the concept that you can eat from an open bar while having a drink in a chill place. It’s usually between 5-9pm. They eat dinner even after that.
People are not stuck in shopping malls but actually enjoy company of others on streets until late hours.
From the amazing Duomo to street basketball, from museums to Lake Como, I captured lovely photographs with mostly using Kodak films. I bought my Canonet 28 just one day before the trip and only took that camera to Milan – a risky move!
First of all, all my suggestions are not tourist-minded but mostly local. I lived like a local for one week, visiting only one tourist location in one day. Never rushing, I usually sat in cafes and ate desserts. Milan is better that way, believe me. You won’t find it difficult to finish films while wandering around. But there are particularly photographic places you can go.
You should visit Duomo’s terrace, for the amazing view and architecture. Parco Sempione, as some green won’t hurt anybody. Cimitero Monumentale, if you are interested; I used Bergger Pancro 400 and it was pretty interesting to visit. Einstein’s father is there. Science museum, which is not a natural place for photographic opportunities but pretty awesome.
My favourite place is Brera, where we stayed. You can walk around Brera as much as you want and never get bored. Pinacoteca di Brera is here. It’s a museum mostly full of religious art. The food is amazing!! Just grab a burger in Baobab Burger or wait a little at Temakinho for the best sushi you will ever eat.
I don’t really like ice cream, but I’ll make an exception for this one – for creamy, perfect ice cream, look no further than Rivareno. These three places are only two minutes’ walk from each other. For breakfast, my personal favourite is G Cova & C, which is five minutes’ walk away from these places too.
Also, if you plan your trip early, you should book for Michelangelo’s Last Supper online – at least two months before you visit. And if you find yourself needing to get somewhere quickly, use the city bikes.
We had a one-week subscription for BikeMi. There are stations everywhere. You can use bike and leave it to the nearest station. Of course, it’s hard – almost impossible – to take pictures while on bike, but it’s better than taking a cab.
In one week, we only used a taxi three times. A bike is a much better way to understand the city.
Also, I visited eight shops to search for different films. I couldn’t find any interesting films, only Kodak and basic LOMOgraphy ones. Bring your films with you, but most of all enjoy this city! You won’t regret visiting.
Aleyna Doğan
Istanbul
localibera.com (My blog)
lomography.com/aleyna (LOMOhome)
- Milan on a Canon Canonet 28 - 19/04/2020
