Magna Pars l'Hotel de Parfum
Less well known but no less legendary, Magna Pars has something of an “if you know, you know” status among the jet-set crowd, who flock to secure one of its 39 suites during Milan’s fashion events.
The boutique hotel is housed in the former ICR perfume factory, owned and operated by the Martone family, which has been involved in Italy’s perfume industry for three generations. Once upon a time, they produced fragrances for the likes of Gianni Versace, Nazareno Gabrielle, Nicola Trussardi and Romeo Gigli, the Italian fashion designer whom the Los Angeles Times credited for “singlehandedly changing the course of fashion” in the 1980s.
And since smelling good is more or less religion at Magna Pars, at the heart of the hotel is a serene courtyard filled with fragrant trees and flowers including magnolias, azaleas and roses.
Magna Pars is tucked away on Via Vincenzo Forcella in Navigli, Milan’s trendy canal district, which is refreshingly free of tourists compared to other parts of the city, with casual-chic restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as Mudec, a museum dedicated to art and culture.