Portrait Milano continues redefining community life as a meeting point for Milan

Combining heritage, hospitality, seasonal events and new cultural formats, Portrait Milano demonstrates how historic sites can be reactivated as shared urban spaces centered on access, participation and community use

A seasonal transformation that redefines Portrait Milano as a civic stage for winter culture, design and philanthropy

Launching during the 2025 festive season and running until 6 January 2026, Portrait Milano positions itself as an active cultural platform in the heart of the Fashion District. With the debut of “The Gift: Portrait of a Winter’s Tale,” the former seminary’s cloister operates as a temporary winter forum featuring a charitable ice rink, branded installations and a public program built around performance, community engagement and seasonal gastronomy.

A charitable ice rink and a public program that bring new social meaning to the cloistered square

At the center of the initiative is a daily ice-skating rink, open from 11:00 to 19:00, with all proceeds supporting Fondazione Mente, which assists children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders. The program includes ice-skating performances on 13 and 20 December, a gospel event on 14 December, live demonstrations in the Lindt greenhouse on 7–8 and 20–21 December, New Year’s Eve programming on 31 December and the 10_11 New Year’s Brunch on 1 January.

Branded greenhouses that reinterpret the historic “Seminarium” as a contemporary showcase of craft, fashion, technology and gastronomy

Four glass-and-metal greenhouses introduce distinct seasonal environments. Ferragamo presents a winter selection of signature items; the Ferragamo x Samsung Electronics collaboration highlights Galaxy devices supported by Gemini Live; Perfect Moment brings its AW25 skiwear collection and a gondola cabin installation; Lindt focuses on chocolate craftsmanship with live demonstrations centered on the Lindor line.

Holiday gastronomy that extends the seasonal identity of the square through Milanese traditions and new culinary formats

The festive offering includes the artisanal panettone of 10_11, created by Executive Pastry Chef Cesare Murzilli using a historic sourdough starter, and the savory panettone of Beefbar Milano, available throughout December. The outdoor area becomes Beefbar Café from 12:30 to 18:00, serving coffees, pastries, comfort dishes and selected drinks, while Rumore maintains evening activity with its music program.

Portrait Milano: From archiepiscopal seminary to a landmark of contemporary Milanese hospitality

What was once the archiepiscopal seminary in the heart of Milan—an austere stronghold dedicated to religious education located between Corso Venezia, Via Bagutta, and Via Sant’Andrea—has transformed into Portrait Milano, a luxury hotel by the Lungarno Collection, the hospitality group of the Ferragamo family. The structure’s monumental proportions include a double-columned cloister framing all four sides of a vast stone-paved square, now restored and opened to the public. Long overlooked, this symbolic landmark of the Lombard capital has been reactivated in a city undergoing rapid metamorphosis.

A historic Milanese sanctuary transformed into a vibrant cultural destination in the Fashion District

The entrance through the rusticated Baroque portal at Corso Venezia 11 immediately recalls the cultural and spiritual origins of this citadel, conceived during a period of intense artistic and architectural fervor in post-Tridentine Milan. The Borromeo family motto Humilitas, inscribed above the archway in Gothic script, anchors the building’s religious heritage. First envisioned in the late sixteenth century under the influence of St. Charles Borromeo, the seminary evolved through various ecclesiastical and civic functions over the centuries before falling into disuse in the late twentieth century. Until the 1990s, part of the structure served as Mario Bellini’s design studio, a final echo of creative life before its transformation began.

The rebirth of a 2,800-square-meter cloister as a contemporary piazza for design, fashion, and gastronomic life

The enormous cloister, revived by Michele De Lucchi and AMDL Circle, has been reimagined as a contemporary urban square that blends heritage and modernity. Fashion and design boutiques now inhabit the porticoes, including Antonia, a 750-square-meter fashion destination designed by Vincenzo De Cotiis, and SO-LE Studio, the first flagship of Maria Sole Ferragamo’s jewelry brand dedicated to transforming discarded materials into wearable sculpture. Cafés and restaurants animate the square throughout the day, among them 10_11, conceived by Michele Bönan as a fluid sequence of bar, garden, and restaurant. Its striped textiles, rattan seating, lanterns, and verdant walled garden echo both the sophistication of its interiors and the serenity of the historic cloister.

Beefbar Milano’s transformation of a former chapel into a cosmopolitan dining landmark

Beefbar Milano, the first Italian outpost of Riccardo Giraudi’s celebrated dining concept, occupies the former chapel of the seminary. Its interiors, designed by Humbert & Poyet, create a dialogue between sacred architecture and cosmopolitan dining culture, drawing inspiration from mid-century Milanese masters such as Luigi Caccia Dominioni and Osvaldo Borsani. Sculptural lighting, sumptuous materials, and a refined palette set the stage for a menu defined by premium meats, Wagyu selections, contemporary tartares, and globally inspired comfort dishes that reinterpret international gastronomy through a Milanese lens.

Rumore’s emergence as a new Milanese stage for music, mixology, and nighttime elegance

Adding rhythm and sophistication to the cloister is Rumore, an American-style bar whose name pays whimsical homage to Raffaella Carrà’s iconic song. Rumore combines crafted mixology with a dynamic musical program, creating an atmosphere that shifts from aperitivo to late-night performance. Its classic and contemporary beverages, curated champagne list, and international ambiance have quickly positioned it as one of Milan’s most alluring nightlife venues, enriching the ecosystem of Portrait Milano with a sense of cosmopolitan vitality.

Michele Bönan’s architectural vision that fuses solemn heritage with contemporary Milanese elegance

The interior architecture of the hotel—extending from public spaces to suites and loggias—was entrusted to Florentine architect Michele Bönan, a long-standing collaborator of the Ferragamo family. His approach revives the spirit of the original complex while infusing it with a serene, luminous modernity. The vaulted reception hall introduces this balance with a copper counter illuminated as if suspended within the stone structure. A long communal table, reminiscent of the fratine of Michelucci and Tempestini, anchors the space with books, vintage objects, ceramics, and bronzes. A 1950s plaster relief by Denis Morog stretches across an entire wall, adding texture and narrative depth. Oversized sofas, écru seating, and geometrically patterned carpets in brown, sand, black, and turquoise emphasize the grandeur of the room’s proportions.

Throughout the hotel, vintage pieces from the 1950s to the 1970s coexist with bespoke furnishings created by Bönan. The projecting-weave boiseries discreetly reference the understated luxury of Portaluppi and Tomaso Buzzi, echoing the spirit of Villa Necchi Campiglio while embracing a more linear and contemporary sensibility.

A choreography of spaces where libraries, loggias, and stairways reinterpret Milanese design heritage

In the library, rotating elliptical granite columns serve as movable partitions that orchestrate perspectives and pathways. Historic fireplaces with carved stone mantels stand alongside touches of cardinal red, complemented by deep greens that recall the bourgeois interiors of 1950s Milan. A balustraded staircase lit by restored windows leads to the upper floor, where faint episcopal insignias remain as subtle reminders of the building’s origins. Oversized glass doors on bronze hinges convert the monumental Ionic-columned loggia into a winter garden extending around all four sides of the cloister. Stone fountains from the 1930s punctuate the perimeter, adding sculptural resonance. Mario Ceroli’s black wooden thrones and wicker-and-rope armchairs designed by Bönan’s studio embody the dual nature of the project—majestic yet intimate, sculptural yet hospitable.

Rooms and suites that weave centuries of Milanese aesthetics into a contemporary narrative of comfort and craft

Across the hotel’s 73 rooms and suites, ranging from 32 to 165 square meters, the interplay between heritage and modernity becomes especially vivid. Four-poster beds feature geometric embroidery inspired by seventeenth-century Milanese Baroque, complemented by straw and rattan textures, rosewood, and blond walnut paneling. Backlit bookcases provide rhythm and warmth. Bathrooms, a hallmark of Bönan’s design, are clad in Apuan Calacatta marble with retro chrome fixtures. Spacious shower rooms are lined with single slabs of Carrara marble, while Devon&Devon bathtubs introduce a vintage note in selected suites. Doors crafted with leather and bronzed brass by Florentine artisans elevate the tactile experience. Vintage lamps and ceramics sourced from Parisian markets infuse each space with nostalgic charm.

Natural larch floors pair with moss-green or garnet carpets inspired by mid-century rationalism and 1970s design, bordered in crisp white. Suites adopt softer palettes—browns, camels, rope, butter, and ivory—highlighted by touches of cardinal purple. The result is an atmospheric portrait of Milan, where centuries of stylistic influences converge in a refined equilibrium of comfort, history, and aesthetic osmosis.

A tribute to Milan’s fashion culture and the visionary creativity of Salvatore Ferragamo

Portrait Milano celebrates the city’s legacy as the capital of Italian fashion through archival displays dedicated to Salvatore Ferragamo. Photographs, patents, and sketches illuminate his visionary approach, revealing footwear as an architectural exercise—ergonomic, sculptural, and avant-garde. Michele Bönan often cites Ferragamo as a guiding inspiration, supported by the creative sensibilities of Wanda Ferragamo. Realizing Portrait Milano, he explains, was “the materialization of a dream,” a delicate alignment of Milan, the historic seminary, and the Ferragamo Maison that unfolded like the pieces of a perfectly composed puzzle.

A culinary identity at 10_11 where Milanese tradition and contemporary sensibility meet in a single narrative

The restaurant 10_11 expresses a gastronomic identity where Milanese tradition merges with a contemporary, international sensibility. Its name reflects its dual entrances at Via Sant’Andrea 10 and Corso Venezia 11, symbolizing a meeting point between different souls of the city. Executive Chef Luigi Cinotti, originally from Tuscany, became Executive Chef in 2023 after joining the team as Sous Chef in 2021. His cuisine is rooted in Italian conviviality, shaped by the flavors of his childhood and further refined during six years in prestigious hotel kitchens in the United Kingdom. Extra virgin olive oil, freshly baked bread, and essential ingredients form the backbone of his approach, which elevates simplicity through technical mastery.

Executive Pastry Chef Cesare Murzilli, born in Rome, interprets Italian pastry classics with contemporary clarity. His apple tart, millefoglie, and meringata evoke memories of family gatherings while embracing modern textures and presentation. The mixology program at 10_11 completes the experience, reimagining Milan’s beloved aperitivo ritual through a thoughtful blend of tradition and innovation.

Portrait Milano

Corso Venezia 11, 20121 Milan, Italy
A former archiepiscopal seminary reborn as a cultural, gastronomic, and architectural landmark at the heart of the Fashion District.