Where did you go?
Maira Pagganwala: My husband, Qassim, and I went to Italy. We started in fashion capital Milan, moving on to beautiful Lake Como. We also managed to squeeze a day trip to Lugano!
What made you go here?
MP: We went for Anum and Murtaza Ahmed’s wedding celebration, which was held in Lake Como. The festivities kicked off with a Bollywood night, which included an electric performance by RDB. The next event was a garden brunch held at the award-winning Casta Diva resort, where guests enjoyed delicious food with an absolutely stunning backdrop! The final event was a beautiful black-tie wedding, which took place at the gorgeous Villa Erba – the exact location for George Clooney’s Ocean’s Twelve!
What did you pack?
MP: A bit of everything! For everyday: Sneakers, metallic and t-shirt dresses, a trench, sunglasses. For the wedding events: an Indian sari, two gowns (I am highly indecisive!) – an emerald green Muse crop top with a bellowing skirt and a Zaheer Abbas white ruffled dress, a couple of structured blouses, jewellery, clutches and of course, heels!
What was your favourite meal?
MP: Italy was all about the amazing food! Everything we ate was pretty great, including the Japanese at Finger’s Garden and authentic Italian at Osteria Del Binari, the atmosphere at Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone was just superb! That being said, I’d have to admit my favourite meal was definitely the hot, oozing, tomato and mozzarella panzerotti from Luini, which was perfection! Luini is a hole-in-the-wall take-out place, which usually has a long queue of locals outside.
What was the biggest highlight of your trip?
MP: In Milan, I loved doing the geeky, touristy stuff! The views from the Duomo rooftop were breath-taking, spinning on the bull at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for good luck was hilarious, randomly spotting and excitedly posing in front of the Gucci Freaks and Geeks mural by illustrator Angela Hicks was super fun, exploring the charming hidden away vintage stores by the waterways was the perfect way to spend an evening, and of course seeing Da Vinci’s The Last Supper in person was just surreal!
As for Lake Como, just staying at the Casta Diva and being surrounded by so much beauty was amazing! Each of the wedding events were fabulous, from the boat rides to the venue, the amazing décor, the scrumptious food – it was all perfect! One memorable moment was definitely after the wedding brunch, when a bunch of us decided to go for a swim into the floating pool, followed by the indoor heated pool and sauna. There was a lot of laughter and such a great vibe with new friends and old.
Favourite shopping destination?
MP: As much as I love to shop, this trip, for me, was all about exploring these new cities and enjoying the wedding – shopping just didn’t fit into my schedule. That being said, I did visit Corso Como in Milan. It was a super cool and quirky concept store, with an outdoor café, an indoor clothing and accessories store with a great selection of products ranging from Gucci to Vetements. Upstairs was a bookstore with hard-to-find books and collector’s editions – a book lover’s dream! Further upstairs was a gallery and a rooftop terrace, and the gallery much to my delight was exhibiting the World Press Photo Contest, which was nice to explore (despite a disturbing image from Pakistan!).
What are some spots for a night out?
MP: The Bvlgari Bar and the Cavalli Club were some places we went to for a night out. If you’re more into the hipster, local scene, check out the buzzing bars near Osteria La Vecchia Lira.
Any travel tips you would like to share?
MP: Make a list of all the things to do and places to visit so you don’t miss out on anything – I tend to research spots in advance, so I know exactly where to go and what to do. And make sure you fit in some local hot spots!
TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY: MAIRA PAGGANWALA
