Our history
In 1959 Armando Varesi and Alessandra Maga took over BAR ITALIA in Piazzale Lodi, Milan and converted it into the success story of a well-stocked “Bar Tabaccheria” which became the core of the area. Originally it was located next to the ex-Cinema Italia from where it got its name and it was there for twenty years witnessing the many modifications and improvements that took place in the area and the city itself, it has always acted as a popular meeting place for a whole generation of faithful and regular customers.
The onset of the Eighties brought many significant and important changes and the area was upgraded: the cinema for example changed its name into Maestoso and BAR ITALIA moved to the other side of Piazzale Lodi where it gained more space and more light than ever before.
The bar has changed along with the needs and requests of our faithful and regular customers. Therefore we started by introducing cold dishes and since the year 2000 we have added our restaurant services too.
This is the right place
Carlo Varesi, son of the founders of this jewel of the city of Milan, thanks to his long experience gained working for BAR MADONNINA MILANO, also part of the family business, has committed himself personally since 2020 to give new prestige to BAR ITALIA MILANO.
However, only with the profound restyling of 2025 BAR ITALIA MILANO will gain its final touch. A refined environment, an immersive lush tropical garden that gives the feeling of being enveloped by nature, our routine custom-focused service, some furniture taken from our history, for instance our beautiful marble counter entirely handmade comes to be combined with touches of modernity, such as our living plant walls Times change and the needs of our customers change too. The challenge is to safeguard our history while becoming a point of reference in innovation and quality. Therefore our breakfasts will offer a vast selection of high-quality homemade sweet pastries prepared freshly every day. Our lunch menu has been enriched with regional, international and creative dishes. The food we offer is gourmet, with award-winning cured meats and fancy breads, whilst our happy hour is a moment of relax and quality.
BAR ITALIA MILANO has been given a total makeover, thanks to new ideas and new people, it’s a corner of home in your neighborhood, in your city Milan.
For breakfast, lunch or a cocktail drink, this is the right place. Yours.
In loving memory of Armando and Alessandra, who paved the way for all this.
