Milan, Casa degli Atellani closes to the public. Will it become a hotel? It already was

As of October 1, the Atellani House in Milan will close to the public. For now, only a notice stands out on the website of the small Milanese museum saying that the House will be open to visitors only until next September 30: just a few more days, then, for those who would like to see this jewel of Renaissance Milan, with hours from 9 am to 6 pm. Located on Corso Magenta, a short distance from the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Atellani House is in fact a rare 15th-century dwelling, dating back to the time of Ludovico il Moro, and the time when Leonardo da Vinci resided in the city. So much so that the garden of the House, restored in the early 20th century by Piero Portaluppi, the great architect who gave the face of early 20th-century Milan (also the author of today’s facade of the Atellani House), houses the so-called "Leonardo’s vineyard ," heir to the vineyard that in 1498 the Moor, then Duke of Milan, gave to Leonardo da Vinci. The artist planted it right here, and today’s vineyard, the result of a recovery project by the Faculty of Agriculture of the State University of Milan, Confagricoltura and the Portaluppi Foundation, has the same arrangement and the same grape variety as the original (Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, planted in 2015, on the occasion of the Milan Expo).

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Photo: House of the Atellani / Atellani

Indeed, it seems that Leonardo da Vinci himself stayed in the Atellani House while he was busy painting TheLast Supper. When the French defeated Ludovico il Moro, Leonardo left Milan, but he always nurtured a fondness for the vineyard, so much so that he mentioned it in his will, leaving part of it to a servant and another part to his pupil Gian Giacomo Caprotti, known as the Salaì.

Last year, Atellani House had been purchased by the Lvmh Group, the global luxury group of French tycoon Bernard Arnault, owner of brands such as Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo, Céline and others, which took over the property from the Castellini Baldissera family, heirs of Ettore Conti (who in turn purchased the house in the early 20th century, entrusting its restoration to Piero Portaluppi, his son-in-law) and Portaluppi himself. Lvmh, moreover, in 2013 had already purchased a structure in Milan, the historic Pasticceria Cova, founded in 1817.

A normal sale between private individuals, on which obviously the City Council and other entities could not put their mouths, which, however, leaves uncertain the question of opening to the public: according to rumors, in fact, the Lvmh group would like to open a hotel in the ancient mansion. Obviously, it will not be able to make any changes to the structure, since the house, including the garden, is under a constraint of considerable cultural interest: this means that, according to the Cultural Heritage Code, the owners will not be able to introduce changes that would be detrimental to the values under protection, and they are obliged to submit to the Superintendence any intervention project they intend to undertake on the property. And of course, they cannot touch a square inch of plaster until the Superintendence has given permission for the work.

At the moment only rumors are chasing each other about the destination of the Atellani House, because there is no confirmation from Lvmh. However, the building had long been linked to the fashion world, as it has hosted fashion events on several occasions. Nor would the structure’s accommodation destination be a novelty, which already since 2015 has been home to seven luxury apartments, the Atellani Apartments, which can accommodate from 2 to 6 people, with prices starting at around 300 euros per night, and come in various sizes (from the 40-square-meter Ludovico room to the 150-square-meter Ippolita suite). And among the various services offered is the possibility of a private visit to Leonardo’s Vineyard: thus, the fact that Casa and Vineyard were open to guided tours by guests of the facility did not preclude opening to everyone. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that everything will remain as it was.

It should be recorded, however, that in July the Lombardy Region’s councillor for culture, Francesca Caruso, perhaps to give a signal had visited Atellani House, which she described as “a place of inestimable beauty. Not only for Milan, but for the entire Region of Lombardy and for the whole of Italy. A great source of pride.” She added, “I hope it remains a national heritage. And that it can constitute a stage within the Vinciano circuit. So as to enhance more and more the genius of Leonardo, Italian pride. I think places like these should be included,” Caruso pointed out, “in a wider circuit to allow the visitor a real immersive cultural experience in the places frequented by Leonardo’s genius. I imagine that the time is ripe to assume a real ’Lombard Vinciano circuit.’ And I can only consider Atellani House the symbol of such a path.” According to Caruso, visitors in fact “want to retrace not only the iconic stages of the great figures, but are increasingly attracted to the spaces of their everyday life. Getting to know their biographies in depth and visiting the places of culture that helped inspire the great masterpieces of art is perhaps the best way to make the experience even more totalizing. Then when it comes to caskets of such rare beauty grafted to the center of a city I think there are all the ingredients for the general public to be enchanted.”

It should be specified, however, that not only Casa Atellani will not be open to visitors from October 1, but the seven “Atellani Apartments” are already no longer bookable from the official website. It is likely, then, that this is just normal ownership turnover and that after the handover the house and Leonardo’s Vineyard will be able to continue to be visited by the public.

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Milan, Casa degli Atellani closes to the public. Will it become a hotel? It already was

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