The wizards at the historic Brera Pinacoteca have officially elevated the art of the museum cafe. Caffè Fernanda — named for Fernanda Wittgens, the gallery’s erstwhile director responsible for rebuilding the institution following its bombing in the Second World War — serves up coffee, cakes and evening aperitivo to the gallery-goers and art students that populate the institution’s hallowed halls. Based on design alone, the spot certainly does the visionary justice. Set in the former ticket office, the space was originally designed by midcentury hometown hero Piero Portaluppi. Milan-based rgastudio framed the architect’s broad arched windows with inky blue-painted walls but left much of the original space intact. ‘Like many historic buildings in Milan, Caffé Fernanda is the result of a series of interventions from different eras,' explains rgastudio’s Giuliano Iamele.
Original marble floors and door-frames were left in-situ, a heavy contrast to the delicately fluted exterior of the brass-topped Canaletto walnut wood bar, gold-toned, mirror-backed shelving unit and slick brass and rose-coloured table and chair sets by Pedrali.
Iamele cites the 17th-century painting by Pietro Damini, St. Bernard Converting the Duke of Aquitaine, hung behind the bar as the starting point of the project. Him and design partner Raffaele Azzarelli crafted the cafe’s proportions around its monumental size. Other gems from the gallery’s vast collection are also on display, a few even dedicated to the cafe’s namesake. Bertel Thorvaldsen’s The Three Graces sits alongside a bust of Fernanda Wittgens by Marino Marini as well as her portrait by Attilio Rossi. ‘We like the idea that historical architecture is constantly evolving,' says Iamele' But, if you ask us, we think it’s ok if this version sticks around for a while.
ADDRESS
Via Brera 28
-
Mickalene Thomas and Tom Wesselmann consider the female nude in Palm Springs'The Female Form: Tom Wesselmann & Mickalene Thomas from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation' places the artists' work in cultural context at Palm Springs Art Museum
-
Prada’s A/W 2026 menswear show was about excavating the past to find the future‘It’s a kind of archaeology,’ said Raf Simons of his and Miuccia Prada’s latest menswear collection, which was presented at Fondazione Prada yesterday in Milan
-
‘The Iconic Nordic House’ explores the art, craft and influence of the region’s best residencesA new book of Nordic homes brings together landmark 20th-century residential architecture with stunning contemporary works; flick through this new tome from Bradbury and Powers
-
Rome’s hottest new bar is a temporary art installation – don’t miss itVilla Lontana presents ‘Bar Far’, a striking exhibition by British artists Clementine Keith-Roach and Christopher Page, where nothing is what it seems
-
A local’s guide to Florence: 9 unmissable hauntsOur contributing editor Nick Vinson spends half the year in Florence. Here, he takes us on a tour of his don’t-miss diversions
-
The most anticipated hotel openings of 2026From landmark restorations to remote retreats, these are the hotel debuts shaping the year ahead
-
How designer Hugo Toro turned Orient Express’ first hotel into a sleeper hitThe Orient Express pulls into Rome, paying homage to the golden age of travel in its first hotel, just footsteps from the Pantheon
-
The Wallpaper* team’s travel highlights of the yearA year of travel distilled. Discover the destinations that inspired our editors on and off assignment
-
Heading to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games? Don’t miss these stops along the wayAs the anticipated winter games draw near, Wallpaper’s Milan editor, Laura May Todd, shares where to stay, eat, drink and relax in the Dolomites
-
Experience the cradle of the Renaissance in a new light at Florence’s W hotelFlorence’s palazzi, basilicas and baptistries groan with history. But the city’s new W hotel poses an alternative perspective – one that is distinctly modern
-
Fall in love with the Dolomites at this serene retreatIn South Tyrol, the refreshed Forestis hotel raises the bar for high-altitude calm
