WORDS: ORLA THOMAS. PHOTOGRAPHS: JAIME PHARR/SHUTTERSTOCK, GARY LATHAM, COURTESYOF THE FLYING DUTCHMEN, BLUE PLANET STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK, EURASIA/ROBERT HARDINGGeorge Stubbs was a talented specialist
equestrian painter whose strikingly modern
1762 racehorse portraitWhistlejacketearned
him wider fame. See it, along with some of
his other works, at the National Gallery
(nationalgallery.org.uk). Spend the rest of the
day exploring Hyde Park, ending up at Ross Nye
Stables, which offers private rides around the
-7 * 0)ư1̭4#+'*#1-$1 ,"20 !)1Ɵ -3+ 7
spot the horses of the Household Cavalry being
exercised as you pass tree-lined Rotten Row
(from £75pp for one hour; rossnyestables.co.uk).
On Sunday, catch the Changing of the Guard
(royal.uk/changing-guard)before seeking out
venues that reference London’s historic love
of horses. Begin with a breakfast cocktail
(featuring marmalade vodka) at Kensington’s
Stables Bar, which pays homage to horseracing
history(milestonehotel.com). Stroll through
Knightsbridge, detouring past the home of
our horse-loving Queen, before lunching
at Mayfair’s oldest pub, The Running Horse,
which is decorated with equine ephemera
and serves high-end British pub grub
(therunninghorsemayfair.co.uk). End the day
at Riding House Café restaurant and bar, which
was once a set of stables(ridinghouse.cafe).
STAYThe Gore offers period-style rooms and
a prime location on the park(from £200;
starhotelscollezione.com).
ARRIVETheUK’srailnetworkconnectsto
London at major train stations including King’s
Cross, Paddington, Euston and Waterloo
(nationalrail.co.uk).28
Horsing around
in London
Feel the psychological power
of Leonardo da Vinci’s mural
The Last Supperat the Basilica di
Santa Maria delle Grazie, where
it occupies a wall of the former
monks’ refectory(book in
advance; vivaticket.it).Itisbyfar
the most famous legacy of the
artist’s late-15th-century spell in
Milan, though da Vinci’s work at
Castello Sforzesco is only a 10-minute walk away, and much less
likely to be crowded. The Renaissance polymath muralled some
of its apartments, creating a mesmerising indoor forest of
mulberry trees(milanocastello.it). When the dining hour
approaches (never before 8pm), make sure you’re booked-in
1-+#5�# 1.#!' Ơ # '2 7-30 ̭012 -0 12 13..#0 ', ' ,Ɵ3!&
loved by locals is the two-Michelin-starred Il Luogo di Aimo e
Nadia(tasting menu from £105; aimoenadia.com), which serves
seasonal dishes among white tablecloths and mid-century
$30,'230#Ɵ0 1 +.# -3212 ,"',% !-+ ', 2'-,1 -$̮ 4-30 ,"
2#6230# 2 '"Ƥ !)'.-%0 ̭ '+#,2 0#(mains from £18;
2'.-%0 ̭ *'+#,2 0#Ɵ'2ƻ. Spend day two wandering through the
Navigli district. Local legend links da Vinci’s designs with the
renovation of its picturesque canal network, which harbours
a multitude of art galleries, pop-up exhibitions and bars.
STAYClosetoSantaMariadelleGrazie,AnticaLocanda
Leonardo has classic bedrooms overlooking either leafy courtyard
or peaceful garden(from £120; anticalocandaleonardo.com).
ARRIVEBA, easyJet, Flybe and Ryanair all connect UK airports
to Milan(from £95; ryanair.com).
27
Endless suppers
in Milan