Crossing Manzoni

The beating heart of the design world, Italian metropolis Milan is no novice when it comes to style, and at last, the industrious city has a place to stay that equally strikes a design chord. With just a handful of gorgeous suites, Crossing Manzoni is peppered with a troupe of iconic design pieces, flamboyant artworks, rich textiles and objets d'art from the family heirloom, lending the townhouse-hotel an air of hushed glamour.

Discreet, off-the-radar, but in the hum of Milan, this bijou refuge of style sits at the crossroads of the fashion districts in the cultural and designer heartlands of central Milan. With a confident and curatorial interior design remit articulated by owners Carlotta Botta and Alfio Puglisi, Crossing Manzoni is an intimate, sophisticated pitstop of style, favoured by those familiar with the scene of Milan.

Stepping through the doors is like entering a private casa of a fellow design connoisseur, with the 'Chat & Relax' concept lounge playing host with its curated marriage of art, lighting and furnishings. A curvaceous Bouclé sofa Rico by Ferm Living flirts with a Morten Gøttler's Paper Cord Cuba Chair by Carl Hansen & Søn, overlooked by a playful stag sculpture made from wire by the owner's artist sister, a nod to their whimsical accents. 

In the individually designed guest suites, each room stands alone, Lars Tornøe, Jack Lenor Larsen, Vittoriano Viganó, Ferm LIVING, Carl Hansen & Søns, and lighting by Jean-Louis Frechin complete the melange of style. You might find a style-laden noir colour-scape letting the room's art pieces pop, like the twin casts of Milan-based artist Alessio Barchitta, sourced from Milan Art Fair, the treasured Eames ‘House Bird' matched with linen-swathed headboard from Colefax. Bathrooms also benefit from a curated eye with airship-shaped Zeppo Wall Lamps by Astro Lighting, which are placed by a Cielo oval mirror with a lacquered shell.

Crossing Manzoni is a deliberate chameleon; the hotel charms through its intricate, personal collection of styles that borrow forms from the eras and continents of design, often then paired with Italian classical antiques, adding a subtle dose of rich theatrics. 

A noted address close to Via Montenapoleone, this is a place to stay for those in the know; the hotel-guesthouse Crossing Manzoni is an off-the-radar abode that stands apart in the metropolis. Situated in the axis of Milan's historical culture, Crossing Manzoni sits on the wheel of heritage, including Milan's Duomo, the Romanesque church of Sant'Ambrogio and the imposing fortress Castello Sforzesco. 

A design refuge that is right at home in the fashion-loving scene of Milan. 

Crossing Manzoni proffers six unique rooms for travellers of style coming to Milan. Twin or Double Deluxe and Double Superiors are only in name – inside are dens of comfort and design, with smooth parquet flooring and light streaming from large, shuttered windows. 

Each has a different feel, there is no-one-size-fits-all here, but what unites them is a flare for design placement through the use a wide range of objects d’art from Renaissance artwork to modern-day sculpture, mid-century Scandi icons to contemporary designer lighting.

Like all true city boltholes, Crossing Manzoni has no restaurant, as the nearby pizzerias, trattorias delis and Michelin-starred dining (restaurant Enrico Bartolini al Mudec has three stars) are more than enough for the curious gourmand.

Instead, Manzoni offers all you need for those little moments - tea in bed, mid-morning coffee, wine on return from shopping or a pick-me-up at aperitivo hour. All rooms come with Nespresso machines and the ‘Chat and Relax’ living room’s fridge is always topped up.

With an enviable location walking distance of Milan’s hotspots as well as those slightly under-the-radar sights, Crossing Manzoni is found in the heart of Milan, minutes from the Duomo and La Scala opera house, which opened in 1778 and where you can still be caught in the thrall of concerts and opera. Shoppers will find themselves a short walk from the fashion boutiques of upmarket Via Monte Napoleone, a showcase for all that Milan is known for. 

The boho-chic neighbourhood of Brera is a little further afield, where an arty vibe mixes with 18th century architecture and cobbled streets. It’s here that you’ll find shops showcasing up-and-coming fashion designers, cafes that entice you to linger longer, alongside galleries such as lofty palazzo art gallery Pinacoteca di Brera which proudly shows the Italian masters such as Piero della Francesca, Tintoretto and Caravaggio. It is also, according to Carlotta, the best place for ‘chic apertivi’. We don’t need to be told twice.