Caffè Fernanda at the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan
Via Brera, 28, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
So, Milan.
Pinacoteca di Brera is not so much a recommendation as a must visit. It normally takes time to enjoy the collection of Brera, so somewhere between Mantegna’s Dead Christ and Hayez’s The Kiss, you will want to have a bite. And when you do, Caffè Fernanda is where you’ll go.
Caffè Fernanda is the museum’s only in-house café. It enriches your Brera experience and is something of an aesthetic fulfillment really.
It is named after Fernanda Wittgens, Italian art historian,the first female director of the Pinacoteca and a key figure in its post-war restoration. The space carries her name and, somehow, her presence. A certain elegance without insistence. Determined, but discreet. It matches the museum’s vibe: it is toned down, upholstered, softly lit.
You can enter it both from the outside and from one of the museum’s corridors from the inside. The walls are a smoky blue. The light is warm, but not too warm. Simple chairs. Brass edges. A quiet geometry of form.
The menu does not try to impress, and is pretty much what you see in every in-museum cafeteria. The usual suspects are: espresso (€2.50), americano (€3), sandwiches, a few wines, various cocktails if you want one. The food is polite. Desserts — cheesecake, crostata. They are good, not glorious. But they match the place. You do not want a feast here after all, right. You just want a pause.
The staff is good. No one hovers. No one lingers. Keep in mind it is not a place where you can sit for hours, — for a few reasons. First, it’s quite small and tables are placed too close to each other. Second, you do feel rushed due to the large number of visitors.
However I recommend it, just because it is very beautiful and inviting. And — this is your only option inside the Pinacoteca to sit down for a coffee and footrest. You are not meant to stay. But for a brief moment, with coffee in hand and paintings still in mind, you feel suspended.
Look at that painting on the wall.
