Portrait Milano

Housed in what had been one of the world’s oldest seminaries, dating back to 1565, the hotel’s Baroque façade evokes the city’s glamorous history. The new renovation — which opened the structure up after it had been closed for more than 20 years — brings it firmly to the present. The 152 columns lining its colonnaded walkways provide a luxuriously calm alternative to Milan’s buzzing sidewalks, so much so that it’s not uncommon to see well-heeled locals walking their dogs in the 32,000 square-foot courtyard.

With interiors by Michele Bonan, who also oversaw the Portrait Hotels in Florence and Rome, the 73 suites feature Bonan’s signature sumptuous materials, like Carrara marble, leather accents and color palettes of vermillion and green. His love of books plays a central theme throughout the hotel, with more than 2,000 volumes on art, fashion, history and design available to peruse in nearly all of the public spaces and the individual guest quarters.

“We support all the fields that Milan is renowned for: fashion, design, style, architecture, craftsmanship, but more broadly, also those aspects that are part of our ‘at home’ traditions: Moka coffee ritual in the morning, simple but authentic cuisine, heartfelt hospitality,” says Valeriano Antonioli, CEO of the Lungarno Collection, comprising the Ferragamo family’s six hotels in Florence, Rome and Milan.

That hospitality extends from the Frette linens in the guest rooms to the hotel’s coveted restaurants: the 10_11 restaurant, which features a private garden, and Beefbar, the first Italian outpost of the trendy Monte Carlo steakhouse.

For guests eager to explore the city, Antonioli says, a 15-minute walk will provide a glimpse into Milan’s fashionable but less touristy side. Among his favorite hidden gems: the bookstores and vintage boutiques on Via Lincoln.

After a full day of sightseeing, the Portrait’s Longevity SPA offers appealing wellness offerings, including a pool, a gym, and full biohacking treatments like LED and cryo therapies, massage and even DNA analysis.

And to help guests feel their best at home, Portrait Milano has just launched a collection of bath and bed linens with Frette. Exclusively available at Frette’s Milan flagship and at frette.com in Europe, the collection includes super soft pillowcases and enveloping velour kimono-style bathrobes, as stylish as the city that inspired them.