History

Normally the original idea behind the construction of a building for “providing hospitality” is not remembered. We would like to tell you how the Grand Visconti Palace project was born.
In 1999, we were looking for a central area to build a hotel in Milan. We had two opportunities: the first was a building in the heart of Milan, with the possibility of 90 bedrooms and small common areas and the second was an area of 12,000 m² located in a central position and easily accessible. The Verga Mill was built in this area in 1920, and later became the headquarters of a renowned biscuit factory which, at the end of the 1990s relocated elsewhere. We chose the second option, which was certainly the hardest one, but also the most ambitious. In December 1991 “the die was cast” and the idea took shape through the architects’ plans.
Works started on September 2001: one part of the building was restructured and one part was demolished and rebuilt with the specific desire of maintaining the design of the old building which dated back to the early years of the past century. The idea was to capture and maintain the appeal which only period buildings are able to convey. The hotel features 172 bedrooms, a conference centre, a reception hall, a restaurant, a wellness centre with indoor pool, a car park for 70 cars and a parking place for 3 buses. The hotel was then named after an important signoria (Italian noble dynasty): the Visconti, who, between the end of the 14th century and the early 15th century, were the rulers of the largest and most powerful Italian state of the time. Tradition blended with innovation.

The rooms are named after the main city gates of Milan, while we preferred more original and modern names for the restaurant and the bar, playing with the “V” found in our logo: and so we have the restaurant “al V piano” (situated on the fifth floor as the name indicates) and the “Visavis” Bar.