Gay Milan Milan City Guide

Curation by Yasmina Rodríguez, words by Jessica Benavides Canepa

In a country renowned for its contributions to art, fashion and science, Milan is bursting with creative flair both past and present, seducing the senses with chic design, timeworn yet timeless architectural styles and unparalleled panache. Where futurism was founded, Milan has a history of trailblazing; aside from Valentino, Moschino, Miu Miu and Armani, Milan also gave us the world’s greatest examples of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance art à la Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and Bramante. Marvel at the city’s cathedrals, opera houses and palazzos as they meld seamlessly with bohemian boutiques and voguish bars. No place is perfect however and orthodoxy holds up the pursuit of LGBT rights across Italy. In Milan however, the queer scene is defiantly alive, particularly in Via Lecco and Via Sammartini. For your definitive Milan gay guide, you’ve come to the right place.

The best hotels in Milan

Milan does not do hotels by halves. Whether your preferred sanctuary leans toward old-world opulence or understated contemporary brilliance, the city has something to make your credit card weep with joy.

Palazzo Parigi Hotel & Grand Spa is the sort of place that makes you wonder why you ever bothered going home. Steps from La Scala and Via Montenapoleone, this palatial residence was conceived by owner Paola Giambelli and designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon across two distinct registers — composed Milanese contemporary and ornate Parisian grandeur. The crown jewel is the Grand Spa: a vast indoor pool, Finnish sauna, steam room, aromatherapy showers, and seven treatment rooms styled on different countries, alongside a Royal Hammam conducting Moorish beauty rituals in pink marble splendour. After all that, Caffé Parigi overlooks the private garden for afternoon tea or an aperitivo of considerable elegance.

Palazzo Parigi Hotel & Grand Spa

For guests whose design-consciousness demands to be visible from the lobby onwards, Room Mate Giulia is a delight. Positioned steps from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, its interiors — by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola — channel 1960s Milan through pink marble surfaces, jewel-toned mosaic bathrooms, and curved furniture in moss green and blush. The vibe is convivial rather than formal, and the deeply civilised amenity of breakfast served until noon seals the deal.

The Bulgari Hotel Milano has absolutely nothing to prove, and knows it. Hidden behind an understated facade between Via della Spiga and the Brera district, its interiors — designed by ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel — are a study in material precision: black Zimbabwean marble, solid teak, Uzbek silk carpets, and a 15-tonne granite fireplace. All rooms look onto the hotel’s extraordinary 4,000-square-metre private garden, one of the oldest documented in Milan. Three Michelin stars at Chef Niko Romito’s restaurant ensure dining here is an occasion. The Bulgari Aperitivo at Il Bar, held each evening as the light turns gold, is among the most coveted rituals in the city.