Milan, Italy
Led by Michele De Lucchi and his design team at studio_aMDL, the restoration of Portrait Milano for the Ferragamo – Lungarno Collection, and its conversion into an accommodation complex investigates the historical identity of the place to enhance its constructive characteristics in full respect of its symbolic meaning.
The archiepiscopal seminary was originally built by architect Francesco Maria Richini in 1652 on behalf of San Carlo Borromeo with a 3,000-square-metre piazza framed by a double colonnaded loggia and is the oldest seminary in Europe and the second biggest in the world.
Michele de Lucchi converted the historic building into an accommodation complex to house shops, restaurants, and a luxury hotel: a new square for Milan, open to tourists and citizens who can admire historic architecture here reintegrated into the flow of contemporary life.
Preserving the building’s heritage, the architect has maintained multiple elements of the existing structure such as cornices, openings, and colors using the appropriate materials.
Portrait Milano overlooks the city’s newest see-and-be-seen destination, the Piazza del Quadrilatero, which – at 32,000 square feet – is the largest public square in the fashion district.
The first floor houses 73 rooms and suites, all rooms are enriched with classic Italian furnishings and have large walk-in closets and dressing rooms while bathrooms boast Carrara marble or porphyry marble tiles.
Modernist design meets made-in-Italy materials with cardinal red accents in these spacious 720 to 800-square-foot suites.
The entrance hall leads past the large walk-in closet to the living room, where guests will find a sofa that doubles as an extra bed and, in some cases, a stylish collection of art and lifestyle books.
A few of these suites come with a splendid terrace, while they all offer either king-size or twin beds.
The floor-to-ceiling marble and oversized showers or bathtubs lend character to the bathrooms, some with a hammam shower or an additional half bath.
Project: Portrait Milano
Architects: studio_aMDL slr.
Lead Architect: Michele De Lucchi
Interior Designer: Michele Bonan
Original Architect: Francesco Maria Richini (1652)
Client: Ferragamo – Lungarno Collection
Photographers: Martino Dini, Simon Palfrader, and Marco De Ponti
