The main hotel restaurant of the Milano Verticale Hotel was aptly named Vertigo…despite it being on the ground level among the hotel’s beautiful urban courtyard.

Upon arriving at the hotel, I quickly changed clothes for the perfect spring day and sat down with my back towards all of the extremely chic business folk to focus on a good book and a very hungry stomach. First up, Vermentino and a Caprese salad. The waiter insisted it was a starter, though I enjoyed it twice via room service as a main later in the week.

For my main, which was really a first plate as pasta tends to do in Italy, I went with the simple spaghetti with chilis, garlic, and olive oil. I was very surprised at the amount of olives lurking amongst the plate, but their brininess took the place of salt and pepper and guess what? Now I like olives. Sorted.

This couldn’t have been an easier meal ahead of the walk that I would then make across the city to the Amrani silos. Pasta and cheese fuel so rarely goes wrong, and certainly never gives Vertigo, which in this case turned out to be an easy, excellent lunch choice.