There’s an hotel in Milan that is more than one-hundred years old and has watched an indefinable number of writers, noblemen, artists, businessmen, actors and stylists walk its corridors and rooms. Open since 1846, Hotel Manin was a spectator of this city’s history, always remaining young, growing large and improving over time. What in ancient times was nothing but a inn now soars over the Milanese skyline, overlooking the Indro Montanelli Gardens and, from afar, the beautiful profile of the Duomo.
For five generations the hotel was in the steady hands of the Colombo family, who runs it with the passion of a family business but with the spirit of a great corporation: what they want to give is an experience fully devoted to comfort and hospitality. The attention to the slightest detail is visible in every corner of the hotel: even the bathroom products line is made just for them and produced in Switzerland using organic products without any parabens or other chemicals.
The fitness room is small but well equipped to satisfy all those guests who, instead of going to run in the park across the street, prefer to remain inside the structure. And as a welcoming gift, upon entering the room, a small platter of dry and tropical fruit with berries is offered, to sweeten your arrival.
Going from one floor to another, the décor of the alleys changes in a continuos evolution of nuances and colors. The 124 rooms, of which six are Junior Suites and two regular Suites, all overlook on the green of the park or on the green of the internal garden, built on the rests of an ancient Roman burial ground after the bombings of 1943. On the last floor, in one of the panoramic suites, an heated jacuzzi watches over the whole town and close to it there’s a small summer living room on a veranda that, during cold months, can be fully closed and heated, while, during hot days, it can be cooled to fight off the heath.
The Manin Restaurant, on the ground floor, opens in the garden during the good season, offering a true oasis of peace where to disconnect from the city noise, in the internal modulating rooms, the guests are greeted by a warm and intimate atmosphere. There’s an à la carte menu both for lunch and dinner, but during lunchtime you can also choose among the proposals of Insalateria, a concept cooking project that offers everything from noodles cooked in a wok to hamburgers, pizzas and customizable salads with a dedicated buffet.
A real historical monument to yesterday’s and today’s Milan, a healing hand for both heart and mind: even if you’re not staying at the hotel there’s no reason to not drink a cocktail or a coffee cream in the garden full of secular trees and ancient Roman busts, or to try the culinary wonders that a place so devoted to excellency has to offer.