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Vincent Van Duysen is used to travel. The architect’s home and studio is in Antwerp, and he also lives in Melides, Portugal, where he designed his Casa M retreat, a concrete pavilion nestled among the cork trees and sand dunes. Architectural projects, meanwhile, have taken him from Thailand to the USA, China to Saudi Arabia. Travelling, he told the actor and his longtime friend Julianne Moore in 2014, is a constant source of inspiration. “[It] really fascinates me, and blending all the sources of inspiration makes me who I am,” he explained. “I’m a sponge; from the moment I wake up, I’m a very curious person.”
But in addition to his homes in Antwerp and Melides, there is a place to which he has returned time and time again: Milan.
It was the city he moved to in 1986, having completed his architectural studies at the Sint-Lucas School of Architecture in Ghent, Belgium. In Italy, he took up a position under designer Aldo Cibic, then a partner in Milan’s legendary Sottsass Associati studio, where he honed his craft before returning to Belgium and launching Vincent Van Duysen Architects in 1989.
Van Duysen may no longer live in the city full-time, but Milan has never left him. “I go to Milan at least once a month,” he told the Financial Times in 2023. “I studied there for two years as a young architect in the 80s, and it’s like home.”
Van Duysen’s studio has developed countless projects in the city, taking on architectural commissions for brands such as Ferragamo, Loro Piana, Kvadrat and Bulgari. In this sense, Van Duysen’s design language – which eschews trends in favour of spaces that place an emphasis on clean lines and natural materials – is writ large across the city, not least since 2016, when he was appointed creative director of Molteni&C | Dada.
Panoramic view of Milan
In his role with Molteni&C, Van Duysen has executed spaces of all kinds for the company in and around Milan. There have been annual stands at the city’s Salone del Mobile; the cloister-like Molteni&C Pavilion at the company's campus in Giussano; and, this year, the spectacular Palazzo Molteni on Via Manzoni, an open space for the world of Molteni, in the heart of the city it calls home.
Yet in addition to bringing his work to Milan, Vincent Van Duysen has also brought Milan to the outside world, crafting Molteni&C Flagship spaces in London, Shanghai, Miami and more. In all of these projects, Van Duysen and his studio have carefully balanced local context with Molteni&C’s Milanese identity. Today, Van Duysen notes, “I feel half Italian.”
With the newly opened Palazzo Molteni providing an immaculately designed statement of Milanese identity in the heart of the city, M Magazine reached out to Van Duysen to share his recommendations for a city that has become a second home to him. Covering the best places to stay, eat, relax and explore, Van Duysen shares the places that he likes to visit while in the city, and reflects on the importance of Milan in his day-to-day life.
Palazzo Molteni
Palazzo Molteni
Where is the best place to stay in Milan?
I stay at BULGARI HOTEL for its serene seclusion, lush private garden, and understated luxury that tends to be in line with my philosophy. I always stay in the same room that faces the garden, which feels like I am living within nature, all while I can hear church bells from the other side. It’s an oasis within the city of Milan – a home away from home.
Bulgari Hotel | Photograph: Bulgari
Bulgari Hotel | Photograph: Bulgari
What is your favourite place to eat in the city?
TRATTORIA SANTA LUCIA. I started going there during my stay in Milan in the mid-80s; they know me really well, so they treat me like family. It’s nice to walk there from the hotel and have a quick bite. I also like it for its classic Milanese trattoria charm and atmosphere – white tablecloths and waiters in uniform. Since the 1920s, the crowd there is a nice mix of international creatives, together with the typical signore Milanesi borghesi.
Which Milanese museums and galleries do you most enjoy visiting?
FONDAZIONE PRADA for its masterful blend of old and new architecture, reflecting OMA’s visionary design, as well as its exhibitions from great international artists and its curated contemporary art collection which has helped to elevate the surrounding area into a cultural hub.
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Fondazione Prada Milano | Photograph: Prada
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Fondazione Prada Milano | Photograph: Prada
Which design or fashion stores in the city would would you recommend?
Ferragamo Boutique | Photograph: Ferragamo
The FERRAGAMO BOUTIQUE, as it’s the first store we designed for them after being commissioned to conceive and design Ferragamo’s global retail presence. With this boutique, I like how I reinterpreted the legacy of the brand and showed how it’s moving in a new direction, while still reflecting its “Italianicity”.
I would also recommend the PRADA STORE at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, because it is the brand’s first boutique, opened in 1913, which blends timeless elegance with the grandeur of Milan’s iconic shopping arcade.
Where would you go to buy books in Milan?
Try ARMANI LIBRI for its interior design, curated selection of art, design, and fashion books, and its seamless integration of elegance and functionality.
Armani Libri | Photograph: Armani
Armani Libri | Photograph: Armani
Which parks, green spaces or plazas do you most enjoy visiting in Milan?
CASTELLO SFORZESCO, PARCO SEMPIONE, PIAZZA BELGIOIOSO and GIARDINI DI PORTA VENEZIA – all magical places within a bustling metropolis. They're green areas where one can sit, read, relax, run, or admire curated flower beds or architecture. It is what makes Milan so unique.
Quali sono i suoi edifici preferiti a Milano?
Villa Necchi Campiglio, per la sua posizione discreta nel cuore della città, un rifugio raro con giardino privato e piscina, e per la sua raffinata architettura razionalista di Piero Portaluppi, che con maestria fonde eleganza e innovazione moderna.
Mi piace molto anche Palazzo Mondadori di Oscar Niemeyer - una scultura vivente, monumentale, organica e fluida, firmata da uno dei più grandi architetti brasiliani.
Are there any Milanese day trips that you would recommend?
The GIARDINO ARISTIDE CALDERINI garden for its secluded and tranquil atmosphere near CASTELLO SFORZESCO, offering a hidden green escape in the heart of Milan.
There is also the CHIESA DI SAN MAURIZIO AL MONASTERO MAGGIORE for its breathtaking renaissance frescoes by Bernardino Luini, often called the “Sistine Chapel of Milan”, and its serene atmosphere within a former Benedictine convent. And, of course, there is the enchanting beauty of the lakes around Milan.
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