Portrait Milano Hotel exhibits Arcipelago Botanico on its Piazza until 31 August

There are nineteen days left to see Arcipelago Botanico. Until 31 August, the Piazza at Portrait Milano, the former courtyard of Milan’s Archbishop’s Seminary, plays host to eight monumental botanical sculptures by Agostino Iacurci. Admission is free, and the installation speaks volumes about how this 73-key hotel puts its square metres to work.

A garden reinvented in a 17th-century courtyard

The installation was designed specifically for this space, rather than simply placed within it. Agostino Iacurci drew upon the memory of the gardens that once occupied the Seminary, as well as an antique lithograph showing its planted courtyard, to offer a contemporary reinterpretation.

The result takes the form of a botanical archipelago: eight monumental, handcrafted shapes set on geometric plinths in natural hues. Here, the artist deploys what he describes as an expanded approach to painting, composed of essential shapes and saturated colours. Fuchsia responds to green, violet to orange, and brick red blends into magenta, while the 17th-century colonnade imposes its quiet presence all around.

Who is Agostino Iacurci

Born in 1986 in Foggia, Puglia, and trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Agostino Iacurci works with murals, sculpture and immersive environments. He has exhibited both in Italy and internationally, notably in Los Angeles, Berlin and Mexico City, across museums, institutions and galleries. Since 2009, he has created monumental works in public spaces worldwide and collaborated with leading brands and publishing houses.

A Piazza that doubles as a hospitality strategy

Opened in late 2022 following Rome and Florence, Portrait Milano occupies the former Archbishop’s Seminary, restored by architect Michele De Lucchi, featuring 73 rooms and suites designed by Michele Bönan. The property holds two Michelin Keys and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.

Yet the heart of the project is not the accommodation. The Piazza and its more than 2,800 square metres constitute a new urban promenade linking Corso Venezia to Via Sant’Andrea, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the fashion district. All around, beneath the colonnade, are restaurants, bars, boutiques and wellness spaces. The hotel has, in effect, opened up a public square in the middle of the Quadrilatero.

The La Revue des Hôtels View

This is where the installation truly makes sense. A 73-key hotel does not make a 2,800-square-metre courtyard profitable solely from its resident guests. It does so through Milanese locals and passers-by, who enter free of charge, linger, take photos, and end up at the bar or restaurant. Arcipelago Botanico is not a mere PR stunt grafted onto the hotel; it is a tool for driving footfall.

The choice of August confirms this. Milan empties out in August, the boutiques of the Quadrilatero operate at a slower pace, and most luxury venues feel the effects of the seasonal lull. Scheduling a free, open-air installation until 31 August is the simplest way to keep the venue vibrant during the quietest month of the year.

For the reader, the most useful piece of information comes down to a date. After 31 August, the courtyard becomes a courtyard once more. The Piazza, however, will remain open.

Practical information

Portrait Milano, Corso Venezia 11, 20121 Milan, Italy. Information and reservations: reservations.milano@lungarnocollection.com or +39 02 500 43 661. Arcipelago Botanico is on display in the Piazza until 31 August 2026.