Lungarno Collection is delighted to announce a new addition to its hotel portfolio, which currently includes four hotels in Florence and one in Rome. Portrait Milano, opening in Fall 2020, will be the third hotel in the Portrait brand and the sixth hotel of Lungarno Collection. Over the past decade, these five hotels have achieved excellence in global luxury hospitality and are now ranked alongside some of the largest international names in the business.
Having achieved its position in the hospitality sector, the Ferragamo-family owned hotel group is thrilled to make its debut in Milan in an exceptional historical building unfamiliar to all but a few of the city’s residents. Formally known as Archiepiscopal Seminary at 11, Corso Venezia, with additional access from 10, Via Sant’Andrea, the building is Europe’s oldest seminary, second in the world, built in 1564 in a strategic central position. This monumental building boasts an impressive baroque entrance designed in 1652 by Francesco Maria Richini, which opens onto an imposing 3,000m2 piazza framed by a double colonnaded loggia.
One of the Portrait Milano’s greatest attributes is that it will welcome hotel guests, visitors and residents alike, modifying pedestrian access through the fashion district by joining Corso Venezia to Via Sant’Andrea.
“We are thrilled to be involved in a project which is not only a great challenge in terms of hospitality but also a great responsibility towards Milan. It is an honour to return the building to the city in all its glory, strengthening its close historical ties,” explains Valeriano Antonioli, CEO of Lungarno Collection.
A crucial player in this sense was architect Michele De Lucchi’s Studio MDL practice, which Lungarno Collection commissioned for the restoration work; a project requiring extensive insight and experience.
“Although it closed at the beginning of the 21st Century, the seminary in Corso Venezia is an architectural jewel in our urban fabric which very few people know about. It is set to become a major destination for any visit to Milan […] not least for the architectural value of the colonnade and the Renaissance perfection of its proportions. In this magnificent architectural setting, the art of the past will blend with contemporary lifestyles,” explains Michele De Lucchi, whose ideas for the project have been clear from the outset.
Instead of dominating a historic building, a new project must bring out the hidden beauty within its ancient walls. Many buildings have been transformed and reconfigured over the years, meaning that the unifying thread of history is often broken; it must be sewn back together to restore their stylistic consistency and, more importantly, the authenticity of everything their architecture has witnessed down the centuries leading up to contemporary times.
Leonardo Ferragamo, President of Lungarno Collection, adds, “Portrait Milano gives us the chance to bring our own special brand of hospitality to an exceptional location and a city that continues to emerge on the global stage. We will be able to introduce our guests to Milan’s incredible heritage, taking pathways which, many outstanding men have followed, investing all their energies to help make the city what it is today.”
