Ferragamo-owned Lungarno Collection has set out to transform Milan‘s former Archiepiscopal Seminary, Europe’s oldest seminary, into a 73-key Portrait Collection hotel opening in December.
The hotel group entrusted architect Michele De Lucchiand his studio Amdl Circle to carry out a careful renovation of the historic landmark.
Beyond Francesco Maria Richini’s Baroque archway, Portrait Milano has taken over the striking 3,000m2 piazza framed by a double colonnaded loggia. The first floor will house 73 rooms and suites, while the ground floor, the new Piazza del Quadrilatero, will host restaurants, boutiques and a wellness centre. The opening of this new square will connect Corso Venezia and Via S. Andrea for the first time, modifying pedestrian access through the fashion district.
Portrait Milano’s rooms and suites will range from 32 to 165m2, enabling guests to look over the rooftops of Milan as locals do.
Lungarno Collection has once again collaborated with architect Michele Bonan on the interiors, having worked with him on Hotel Lungarno, Portrait Roma and Portrait Firenze. The style of the rooms at Portrait Milano is clearly inspired by the city’s salotti, living rooms, of the 1950s: the blonde Italian walnut and oriental references, typical at the time, transport guests back to the most glamourous houses in Milan. The boiserie on the walls, which also feature rattan panels, add texture to the simple and essential lines of the interior design. These historical references are flanked by craftmanship from Florence, the city where Lungarno Collection was born.
The red and green colour palette is often found in Milanese houses and deeply connected with the city and its coat of arms, composed of a red cross on a white Samnite shield and a laurel and oak branch tied together with a tricolour ribbon. The intense shade of red used in details is a tribute to San Carlo Borromeo, the cardinal who established the seminary in 1564.
Each Portrait hotel tells a story linked to its destination. Portrait Milano will celebrate the city by recognising two special vocations that over the years it has helped to cultivate and grow: design and fashion. These are two elements that the Portrait brand is very familiar with because they are brought together perfectly in Salvatore Ferragamo. Portrait Milano will tell this story in its rooms and public spaces, through photographs and graphic elaborations. Portrait Milano’s fine dining and casual dining will be guided by young chef, Alberto Quadrio.
Portrait Milano has announced the carefully selected partners who will help bring this new square, Piazza del Quadrilatero, to life: Beefbar will mark the brand’s first Italian location; Antonia, a symbol of fashion in Milan and around the world; SO-LE STUDIO, the first flagship store for Maria Sole Ferragamo’s brand; and The Longevity Suite, an enlightened brand which will manage the hotel’s wellness offering.
“Portrait abandons the boutique hotel format and assumes that of an inclusive destination for the city,” reveals Leonardo Ferragamo, President, Lungarno Collection. “At Portrait Milano, relationships are the essence: relationships among the partners we have involved in the project; relationships with the city that hosts us, to which we are grateful to return a space that has now been brought back to life thanks to Portrait Milano and our partners; relationships with all the local, national and international visitors, with whom we hope to forge long-lasting synergies; relationships among people that we intend to cultivate also through the conviviality of our dining offers.”
