hotel
There is a place that is coming back to life in Milan. At number 11 Corso Venezia, one of the most charming secret places in the Milanese district Quadrilatero della Moda, the former Archbishop’s Seminary, haveing been closed for half a century, becomes a new destination for hospitality, shopping and wellness. Here, on an area of 10,000 square meters, the Lungarno Collection - a company dedicated to high-end hospitality owned by the Ferragamo family led by Leonardo Ferragamo - has imagined the third Portrait Hotel, following Florence and Rome, which will open on December 1.
The hotel offered a preview during Milan Fashion Week in September, when the former Archbishop’s Seminary provided the setting for the Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show, the first designed by Maximilian Davis, the new British creative director of Jamaican origin. This event also marked the return of the Florentine brand on the Milanese catwalks as well as the first public appearance by Marco Gobbetti, CEO of the Maison, who arrived in January 2022.
The former Archbishop's Seminary after half a century of closure becomes a new destination for hospitality, shopping and wellness
"My family and I are honored to have had the opportunity to add a new chapter to the long history of this extraordinary place,” says Leonardo Ferragamo, Chairman of Lungarno Collection. “After its many lives, today the former archbishop’s seminary has reopened in Milan, to the people of Milan and many fans of the city who will finally be able to admire it in its architectural beauty, as well as experience what it will be able to offer. Our Portrait [Hotel]s were conceived with the strong desire to enhance the quality, history and values of the places in which they are found. In Milan, this will also be possible thanks to the collaboration of partners we have chosen and very much wanted, who share our values and visions and whom we are sure will bring great quality and excellence to this project.”
Unlike those in Florence and Rome, the Portrait [Hotel] in Milan will be much more than a hotel and will combine a public dimension on the ground floor with a private dimension, built ad hoc for the guests of the hotel, which extends from the first floor upwards. A total of 73 rooms and suites designed by architect Michele Bönan, who has overseen all the Lungarno Collection properties.
The classic style recalls the tradition of Milanese residences but with contemporary details inspired by Tuscan craftsmanship, such as the leather handles and rattan paneling, in a tribute to the historic buildings of the Ferragamo family. The conservative renovation of the former Archbishop's Seminary - a genuine monument - has instead been carried out by architect Michele De Lucchi together with his firm AMDL Circle: the splendid baroque entrance by Francesco Maria Richini opens onto the majestic Piazza del Quadrilatero of over 2,800 square meters, which, thanks to a new promenade, has now put Corso Venezia in direct communication with via S. Andrea.
In charge of the conservative renovation of the former Archbishop's Seminary, an authentic monument, is architect Michele De Lucchi along with his firm AMDL Circle
There will also be three restaurants overlooking the elegant seventeenth-century colonnade, two headed by Alberto Quadrio, a young Piedmontese chef endorsed by Portrait Milano and the third run by Beefbar. There is also space for research shopping with the multi-brand Antonia in a store covering almost 800 square meters and SO-LE STUDIO, first flagship store of sustainable jewelry by Maria Sole Ferragamo. Finally, there is The Longevity Suite, which will bring a new concept of longevity-related wellness to the Milanese address of the Lungarno Collection.
The common denominator is Piazza del Quadrilatero, overlooked by all partners and which aspires to be seen as an opportunity for many. It is a stage that does not bear anyone's signature, simply a name - Portrait Milano - which inevitably ties it to the city and to all its actors. “We will be happy to evaluate all the projects.” says Valeriano Antonioli, CEO of Lungarno Collection, “presented to us by fashion, design and lifestyle brands in general. I say projects because this place has the ambition to become a promoter of culture, a stage of values, a publisher through which to launch messages that can speak to the world.”