Milan may be one of the big four fashion cities—and Italy’s financial capital—and yet it hasn’t always had a glittering array of stylish hotels to match. Sure, there are a handful of beloved and longstanding grande dames—just look to the Principe di Savoia or Excelsior Hotel Gallia for that—but over the past few years, a new guard of independent, design-forward stays have sprung up too, offering something a little different for the travel visiting once (or twice) a year for the city’s design fairs and fashion weeks.
Here, find Vogue’s guide to the best hotels in Milan, whether you’re seeking a secluded retreat after a day of exploring the sights, or a buzzy see-and-be-seen design stay in the heart of one of the city’s trendier districts.
Casa Cipriani Milano
Courtesy of Casa Cipriani Milano
While walking along the buzzing thoroughfare of Corso Venezia in central Milan, you may find your eye caught by an imposing early 20th-century palazzo overlooking the Giardini Indro Montanelli, the oldest gardens in Milan that surround the city’s museum of natural history. If so, you’ll have stumbled upon Casa Cipriani Milano: the latest opening from the fast-growing hospitality group owned by the family whose history of hospitality extends from the legendary Hotel Cipriani in Venice (now owned by Belmond), all the way to the buzzy private member’s club Casa Cipriani in downtown New York, whose frequent (rumored) guests have included the likes of Rihanna and Bella Hadid. Opened in September 2022, Casa Cipriani Milano sees the group return to its roots, embodying the very best of classic Milanese hospitality and design, while reconciling it with the old-world feel of an English gentleman’s club.
Featuring just 15 jewel-box rooms and suites, the emphasis here is on sophisticated Italian mid-century style: think walls lined with striped wallpaper and wooden wainscoting trimmed with Greek key patterns, crisp white linens custom-made by the historic local textile house Rivolta Carmignani, plush royal blue sofas with white buttons and trims, and black-and-white photographs harking back to the heyday of Italian cinema hung over mirrored surfaces. If you didn’t already feel like you were stepping back in time to a bygone age of high-glamour hotel stays, the arrival of your personal butler to help you unpack will seal the deal. Don’t forget to head upstairs, however: at the Club Restaurant and Living Room on the top two floors of the building, you’ll find the Milanese glitterati tucking into plates of vitello tonnato and rigatoni alla gricia while taking in those dramatic views. —Liam Hess
Principe di Savoia
Photo: Courtesy of Principe di Savoia