Hemispheres Magazine

HOTEL STRAF
Milan

BACKSTORY: This 64-room boutique hotel is housed in the Casa Giachi-Amman, a grand mansion dating to the late 19th century, a time when Milan’s city center was being peppered with Renaissance Revival architecture. The building was transformed into a hotel in 2004.

DESIGN NOTES: An air of recycled chic comes courtesy of burnished brass panels, artfully aged mirrors and unfinished concrete walls. Rooms are kept beautifully minimal, save for the large contemporary artworks.

ROOM WITH A VIEW: Room 604 is a suite with its own private terrace, offering a vista of the bristling Gothic spires of the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral).

WHAT YOU’LL FIND JUST OUTSIDE: The cathedral and its lively piazza are close by, at the end of Via San Raffaele. Right around the corner is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a magnificent covered arcade from the 1800s that’s home to Prada’s flagship store and a host of similarly sophisticated retailers.

HOT PLATE: At the hotel restaurant, which puts an international spin on Italian staples, the richly spiced Milanese saffron risotto with a trout ragu is a thing of beauty.

BEST PLACE TO HANG OUT: The hippest spot for an aperitivo in Milan is undoubtedly Bar Straf, whose high-cheekboned crowd spills out onto the street, chattering, sipping cocktails and turning heads, accompanied on various nights by DJs and jazz combos.

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