Palazzo Segreti

Here in Milan, even more than in most Italian cities, there’s little hint from street level of what’s going on behind closed doors. Like many Milanese residences, Palazzo Segreti doesn’t look like all that much from the outside — just another typically stately 19th-century edifice, albeit one in a remarkably central location, just to the west of the Scala opera house, and not far from the Duomo cathedral. On the inside, however, you’ll find rooms that are starker, more minimalist, more sparsely modernist than the norm in this luxury-mad city.

In fact the style is more urban-apartment than luxury-hotel; rooms feature materials like whitewashed brick walls, vintage floorboards, or raw concrete, all of which are set off against boldly curvaceous modern furniture and dramatic interior lighting. Junior suites, naturally, spread things out a bit, while the lone suite finds space for a jetted tub right next to the bed.

As for public spaces, they’re minimal; a wine bar doubles as a breakfast room by day. But in a location so central, you’re never more than a few steps from something delicious — Milan is underrated as a food town — and you’re also steps away from some of the finest luxury shopping in the world.