Milan is a city of exquisite paradox; at once stunningly familiar as the achingly chic matriarch of the European fashion scene, and yet continuously setting the benchmark of innovation in everything from design and architecture to art and culture.
Set in the heart of the emerging Porta Volta neighborhood, Hotel Viu Milan manages to capture the zeitgeist of the modern-day city with its progressive and sustainable architectural concept, while honoring the classic aesthetics of Milanese design with its sleek interiors. Named after a northern gateway in the 16th-century walls that once surrounded the city, Porta Volta is being reclaimed by spirited young entrepreneurs and innovative designers through an extensive regeneration program, a milestone in the evolution of Milanese urbanism. Set directly between Milan’s new financial district and the city center, the area is a temporal and cultural melting pot.
The spectacular Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli building, newly designed by Herzog & de Meuron, provides a striking juxtaposition to the Renaissance-revival mausoleums of the Cimitero Monumentale, while the famed Corso Como adds a chic dynamism to the south-east of the neighborhood.
When Originals Antonio and Tommaso Viscardi honed their vision for Hotel Viu Milan, the neighborhood’s eervescent energy provided the inspiration to create a hub for the international creative community—albeit one with impeccable design credentials as befitting its locale. Featuring a glass façade framed with living greenery, the hotel’s architecture pays homage to the redefined aesthetics of the area. Inside, blended colors and textures, including parquet oak wood floors and dark wood, provide a timeless setting for classic Italian furniture from Molteni&C Contract Division. Throw in a rooftop pool and terrace, the very first to grace a five-star hotel in the city, the Italian fashion and design capital is set to welcome a new prima donna to the scene.
It is said that fortune favors the brave, and this adage certainly seems true of architects Arassociati’s bold design for Hotel Viu Milan. Representative of the regeneration of the urban environment around Porta Volta, the 124-room hotel stands out thanks to its exterior’s spectacular vertical garden. Rendered in sustainably-sourced wood, metal and bronzed glass, the hotel’s architecture is composed of undulating patterns of indentions and projections that define each story. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows flood the rooms and guest areas with natural light and proer a firm sense of location with panoramic city views, ensconcing guests in an inviting, home-like setting reminiscent of a stylish Milanese townhouse. The lush greenery that bookmarks the property pays homage to Stefano Boeri’s landmark Bosco Verticale project, and demonstrates Hotel Viu Milan’s passion for eco-sustainability.
A newly minted public square in front of the hotel will continue the green narrative of this regenerated pocket of Porta Volta. Local Milanese studio AG&P Greenscape are responsible for the landscape design of the hotel’s vertical gardens. A series of planters connected through a network of steel cables threaded with climbing plants form the foundations of the walls, with every spare space given over to lush greenery to create a botanic waterfall. Each plant used in the design of the garden was carefully selected to withstand the conditions imposed by the unique setting, with a focus on evergreen and locally sourced flora. Jasmine, ivy, climbing roses, clematis, and wisteria weave along the length of the building, while rosemary, cotoneaster oleander, germander, honeysuckle and viburnum complete the organic narrative.
The crowning glory of Hotel Viu Milan, The VIU is the only hotel rooftop in Milan with an outdoor swimming pool that features stunning 360-degree views of the city skyline. Teak lounge furniture is set amid Mediterranean olive trees, creating an urban oasis where guests can while away halcyon hours between dips in the pool and bask in the sun‘s warming rays from dawn till dusk.
Breakfast at The VIU is sure to become a firm fixture with the fashion set, while the hotel’s Sunday brunch will be transformed to an art form, accompanied by the dulcet tones of the resident Bossa Nova singer. A dedicated children’s breakfast table will satisfy even the ficklest of guests, featuring a selection of mini pastries, muns and cereals, as well as balloons and confectionary. For those looking for nourishment of a more physical nature, sunrise and sunset yoga on the terrace will soothe body and mind in the most spectacular of settings – high above Porta Volta’s rooftops. Those of a more hedonistic persuasion, meanwhile, can take in the panoramic views with a custom Milanese aperitivo in hand set to the soundtrack of some of the city’s hottest DJs.
Certified as one of Milan’s Best Kept Secrets. Hands down, a must when visiting. We highly recommend.
For more info visit www.hotelviumilan.com
