Diana Majestic

The history database of the Hotel Diana Majestic, Milan (1908) Verified and confirmed by The Most Famous Hotels in the World, 2004 © famoushotels; 1842 The Bath of Diana was opened near the East Gate of the city, Porta Orientale (which today is Porta Venezia). The pool was 100m long and 25m wide. Constructed around it were 120 changing rooms, showers, party rooms, billiard rooms, a restaurant, a coffee shop and a magnificent garden. 1877 A large square of ground was covered in asphalt and the owners imported a large number of roller skates directly from England. 1907 La Societe anonima Diana Kursaal under Paolo Ingegnoli was founded. Architect A. Manfredini presents his master plan to convert the area around the old pool into a huge entertainment complex Ð including a Pelota hall, the old public pool, a theatre, a restaurant and a hotel. The new recreational complex covered an area of 15.000 sq. metres to provide the Porta Venezia area with an elegant amusement centre; hence the birth of the Kursaal Diana. The Hotel Diana was according to our sources the first purpose built hotel in Milan. Today we would consider the new Hotel Diana a Designer Hotel. It was equipped with all modern facilities, from latest kitchen fittings to modern lifts, from running hot and cold water to electric light and bells in every room. 1908 On 1st October the hotel officially opens. 1909 Eldorado Zammaretti becomes hotel manager. 1910 The leading German travel guide book Baedeker wrote: the Hotel Diana Majestic is the most modern hotel garni in Milan, 1912 Diana was the first hotel in Italy to have a telephone in every room (Fa. Mix & Genest, Berlin). 1921 On March 23rd a bomb exploded during a performance at the theatre, causing the death of 21 people and wounding 80. 1922 The hotel receives its present look and facilities on the garden side. Architect de Finetti created a glass veranda in the garden and a terrace on top of it. 1925 The attic is converted into rooms, thus a new storey is added. 1928 The theatre was converted into a Cinema Diana; 1939Ð1945 During World War 2 the hotel remains unharmed and unchanged. There are rumours that Mussolini spent his last night at the hotel, before he was caught in April 1945. 1953 On July 29th the journalist Orio Vergani united 13 people at a table in the restaurant of the Diana. This group was made up of journalists, editors and presidents of important companies in order to found a gourmet club for lovers of haute-cuisine. This encounter laid the foundation for what was to be named later The Italian Academy of Cooking ----------------------- The hotel, as we know it today, opened in 1908. The old Diana Bath - a spledid Spa - dated back to 1842. 1971 Hotel Diana is closed. 1973 The brothers Piras from Sardinia rent the hotel. Manager Antonio Capelaria reopened the hotel. 1973Ð2004 Many famous people from the world of sports, fashion, music and photography stay or live at the Diana. (-> DIANA VIPS) 1980 The Diana becomes a member of the CIGA group. 1998 Refurbished Ð the hotel has retained the architectural imprint of the past; in fact a good part of the period furniture can still be found in some reception rooms. The restoration works in 1998, coordinated by architect Michael Stelea, carefully preserved and highlighted the architectural peculiarities of the building amongst which are the facade, the early 20th century structure and a magnificent inner garden, one of the few left in Milanese style buildings. In restoring the public areas of the hotel, particular attention was paid to the stuccos and decoration in the hotel lobby and guestrooms, as well as to the precious wooden floors with carved designs. The influence of the 1925 French Art DŽco style can be seen in the new carpets and upholstery, the new leather armchairs and the furniture reproduced from authentic, original designs beautifully complementing the atmosphere of the entire building. The new Sheraton Diana Majestic offers 107 guestrooms and suites, decorated in the classical Imperial style with soft colours and maximum comfort. Bathrooms are beautifully decorated with marble. Many of the guestrooms are furnished with the original antique furniture, which has been carefully restored. All balconies overlook the inside garden where the Milanese elite organizes memorable parties and where the fashionable Milanese crowd meets every evening for the aperitif. All guestrooms are equipped with direct line phones with personalized voice mail box, data port, satellite TV, Bose CD player, mini bar, safe deposit box, hair dryer, individually controlled air conditioning, smoke detectors and sprinklers. The Fitness Centre, with the latest equipment, and the fully equipped Business Centre are reserved for hotel guests. The new Il Milanese Curioso restaurant, literally The Curious Milanese, is subdivided in six areas, with golden cupolas lightly decorated in Art DŽco style, and enjoys a splendid position overlooking the private garden Ð where during the spring and summer months guests can sit outside and experience the shadow of centuries-old and sweet-scented trees such as magnolia, plane, horse chestnut and wisteria, in a peaceful green oasis where silence is broken only by the sound of water gushing from the fountain Ð and offers a creative and innovative reinterpretation of the Italian cuisine based on the constant research of the most fresh and qualified ingredients. 1999 Sheraton (today a part of the Starwood group) buys CIGA. Valeriano Antonioli becomes general manager. The Diana is now called Sheraton Diana Majestic. 2000 General manager Antonioli invested in the infrastructure of the garden of the hotel, turning the habit of the Milanese daily Aperitif into a daily event. Diana Garden becomes the hottest spot in town, featuring a young and modern style with specially designed furniture and the right music, designed by Mark Barrott. . International Herald Tribune columnist James Sherwood brought it to the point: The quarter around Corso Buenos Aires and Venezia on the outer edges of the fashion district is Milans answer to Soho, bustling with late-night bars and street markets and home to the Hotel Diana, the expats new club house. 2002-2004 The music of the Diana is so popular that the hotel decides to produce its own DC collection Ð a great success! The Book Bibliography: Carlo Pedretti, Leonardo Ð The Machines, (1999) Carlo Ripa Di Meana (ed.), Tutta Milano: Tourist Guide (1973). Carlo Romussi, Milano ne suoi monumenti, 3rd ed., 2 vol. (1912-13); Ella Noyes, The Story of Milan (1908, reprinted 1921), Emidio Bissi, Milan: An Artistic and Illustrated Guide-Book (1958); Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo, 1919Ð1999 Ottant anni per lItalia nel mondo; Federico Elmo (ed.), Milan and Its Environs (1955); Franco Fava, Storia di Milano, 3 vol. (1980-82); and Richard Krautheimer, Three Christian Capitals: Topography and Politics (1983); Giacomo C. Bascape, Luigi Medici, and Ulderico Tegani, Vecchia e nuova Milano (1980); Giorgio Giulini, Memorie spettanti alla storia di Milano, new ed., 7 vol. (1854-57); Giorgio Lotti and Raul Radice, La Scala (1979; originally published in Italian, 1977); John R. Low-Beer, Protest and Participation: The New Working Class in Italy (1978). Karl Baedeker, Baedekers Italien, Kurzes Reisehandbuch (1903, 1911); Maurizio Boriani et al., La construzione della Milano moderna (1982); Michele Vitaloni, for african heritage, 2002; Milano 1848Ð1948 Nancy A. Houghton Brown, The Milanese Architecture of Galeazzo Alessi, 2 vol. (1982), concentrating on Renaissance architecture; Patrizia Gabellini, Corinna Morandi, and Paola Vidulli (eds.), Urbanistica a Milano, 1945-1980 (1980). Raffaele Bagnoli, Le Strade di Milano, A collection of photographs from the 1920s The Storia di Milano, published by the Fondazione Treccani degli Alfieri, 16 vol. (1953-62); Two Cultures, Two Cities (1977), the proceedings of a symposium held in Toronto in 1976; Yukio Futagawa (ed.), Carlo Aymonino, Aldo Rossi: Housing Complex at the Gallaratese Quarter, Milan, Italy 1969-1974 (1977), both of which provide views of modern architectural developments. www.famoushotels.org - home

Nino Cerutti, Hugo Boss, Coppola, Gucci, Missoni, Nielson, Simply Red, Samsonite, Venturi, Jerry Hall, Vigitello, Visconti, Zero, Minogue, carrera, Victor Emmanuel II, Bianco, Evangelista, to name but a few.

Italy's fashion guru, journalist Maria Pezzi, remembered 'I started going to the Diana to see the first collections, especially those of the Missoni family, who had chosen that deluxe hotel for their fashion parades, just like every other young designer of that period. In old days there was no music, in some cases it was like being in a convent. You couldn't even talk or cough. The names of the outfits were not announced either, just indicated by the number in the models hand. And the public was very exclusive. It was very difficult to get an invitation and a seat.' Rosita and Tai Missoni held their first Milanese shows at the Diana in 1974 (see page 68). Rosita recalls the events: 'The Diana – with its garden – offered a natural ambience. Guests were seated on sofas and pillows, a Jazz band was playing for over 100 visitors.' With the shows came the photographers. So maybe one day a fashion photographer – wandering around the gardens of the hotel – asked himself 'What a beautiful garden. Why can't I rent a studio in here? It would make a perfect backdrop. Rocco Mancino did exactly this. 'It was love at first sight. I rented a studio at the end of the garden, with a roof top terrace above it.' Soon his sister Franca rented herself an apartment at the Diana, too, next to her brother's studio. 'It was the most beautiful place in Milan; abandoned but with a lot of energy. Gianni Bellotti, an architect, helped me to adapt a space at the top of a Carrara marble staircase, covered by walls of pleasant smelling lilac'. Franca stayed for over twelve years, managing Rocco's shooting She was also bringing in prestigious clientele, thus creating the first PR events at the hotel: 'I used my US business minded background and started to promote this new outburst of enormous creativity – Milan's fashion and its opportunities.' Campaigns for BAT (British American Tobacco), Daily Blue Jeans and KIM by designer Cinzia Ruggeri followed. The Rudyard Kipling Novel Kim inspired a jungle like set up at the bar. Hundreds of people flocked to these events at the Diana, which became the place to do a big do. When Franca encouraged 200 top designers of the world to create an outfit for Charles M. Schulz character 'Snoopy', the likes of Versace, Dior and Armani came up with charming designs. As she also had to sell the idea, she presented the collections to a certain Piergiorgio Coin, who runs Italy's largest department store chain, Coin. From that day they never left each other again, and Franca Mancino became Donna Franca Coin. Today she is presiding over the Venice International foundation: 'Now I am living in a palazzo at the Canale Grande, but when I think about my little place at the Diana it still appears fantastic!' Rocco Mancino shot his first campaign for KETCH – a light summer dress collection: 'We carried a sailing boat into my studio, created a blue background simulating the sea – like Fellini later did it in E la nave va (An The Ship Sails On). I had this wonderful model from South America - she was just perfect for the job. A wind machine created the draft, the campaign was a great success and the designer signed it for the first time with his name: Gianfranco Ferre'. In due course Jerry Hall, Sidney Rome and Birgit Nielsen visited Mancino's studio at the Diana. Jerry Hall stayed for a long time at the Diana, still fondly remembered today by chef concierge Dionisio. Grace Jones and Barbara Carrera were shot in Rocco's studio at the Diana before a certain Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli discovered them as Bond girls. Mancino left the Diana in the 80s: 'It was the best of all times at the Diana. But eventually it became so fashionable, that we could not work any longer in peace. When all got bigger and bigger, I left for New York. A Diana Hot collection with the best shots taken at the Diana is still in the drawer . . ..' In 1976 Gian-Marco Venturi, who added so many touches to fashion, moved into room 412. He loved the Diana and decided to stay. Today he modestly recalls: 'There is not much to say about my time at the Diana. I loved it, it was peaceful, and I was working all the time. I took the adjoining room, 411, and made it my showroom. 411+412 – that was the complete Venturi.' In 1999, 23 years later, he left the hotel and moved into his own apartment in Milan. In 2003, manager Valeriano Antonioli asked him to accept his old key chain of room 412 as a personal present, and to become a permanent Friend of the Diana. In 1977 one of the most famous designers of the world moved into the Diana. Nino Cerrutti. His first men‘s collection was shown in 1967 in Paris and was considered a revolution in men‘s wear at the time. He had opened his first boutique in 1967 on Rue Royale in Paris. The fabric production however remained in his hometown in Italy, in Biella, to be precise. Reason enough to have a pied a terre in Milan. The Diana with its tranquil garden and its fashion linked atmosphere seemed the right choice. Cerrutti remembers those early days: 'Business was not great – there were maybe five rooms occupied – mostly by friends – we had a party every day.' Nino Cerrutti never regretted this move. And he still lives here. Now the crowd followed the trendsetters. Everybody discovered the DM – the Diana – as the best place to be. The lovely garden, the classic interior, the old fashioned windows and staircases inspired photographers, designers and their followers. Ottavio and Rosita Missoni – celebrated for their unique knitwear – was the first to hold a fashion show at the DM lobby - today's bar. They were followed by US star designer Geoffrey Beene and Enrico Coveri. In 1977 Franco Moschino ('Stop the Fashion System!') discovered the hotel as a working place – he started his career on the 5th floor. His fashion shows were legendary. The 5th floor was in particular desired by the young generation. At that time, these 5th floor rooms had no bathroom and were hard to rent out. The unexpected demand for workshop-like rooms suited the management right. Suddenly this empty space represented an extra source of income! We don't know if Patrizio Bertelli ever watched the red moon from the roof, but it was here that he had found his home with his own leather company. Here a legend called Prada was born. This fashion to be the home of the fashion industry really took off – the hotel was now the hub of all foreign models arriving in Milan. It was simply 'hot'. After the first young ladies, arrived, the DM suddenly earned a new reputation as the place to go to see the most beautiful and interesting faces from all over the world. Artist Emanuele Di Liberto lived at the Diana from the beginning of 1977 to 1980 (the year Aga Khan's CIGA group negotiated a 20 years management contract of the hotel) after he heard about the place from Franca Mancino. Di Liberto occupied what had originally been the kitchen, renovated it completely to suit his artistic mood of the time. The two storey space became his studio and home. Di Liberto recalls those days: 'The Hotel was very different from today, the rooms were still very nice and the common areas had a faded grandeur, but on the whole it seemed rather rundown. Di Liberto, today a painter, was experimenting with a lot of art forms including fabrics and filming. In the middle of the salon he placed a large bathtub to die cloth. The large windows on Viale Piave were draped with heavy curtains – a perfect screen for his art films. He rebuilt the floor so that it was tilted and the whole room could be flooded. He achieved a depth of about 30 cm of water, enough to enjoy a serious pirate battle in rubber boats with some friends. Needless to say; the hotel manager, a certain Mr Ajello, was not amused. An anecdote springs to mind when di Liberto talks about the 'old days' at the DM. 'One day a former girlfriend came to Milan to see me. She rented a room in the Diana. Unfortunately I was already with somebody else at that time. She was so jealous and upset that she set fire to her hotel room.' The hotel manager arrived in time to stop the fire. So she kicked him square in the back. He was wearing a crisp white linen suit and she had been walking in soot: 'He had a neat black shoe print on his backside'. Soon later di Liberto moved out and another legend started in the same place; Beppe della Schiava and Barbara Nerozzi produced the magazine GRAN BAZAAR right here at the Diana. New York based Marco Glaviano was also among the first to set the trend. He made the Diana Majestic his base, his pictures went around the world and this hotel in faraway Milan became a temple for fashion worshippers from Los Angeles to Tokyo. Having photographed more than 300 covers worldwide, his photographs have appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and ELLE publications internationally. In addition, he was chosen by Cindy Crawford to photograph all four of her Supermodel Swimsuit calendars. The list of photographers who became faithful patrons of the DM included Fabrizio Ferri, who’s affair with Isabella Rosselini at the DM became the talk of town. The list of all notable photographers who stayed, worked or even lived at the Diana is endless and includes names like Barry Lategan, Hans Feurer, Andre Carrara, Bruno Bisang, Rou Ehon, Oberto Gili, Fabrizio Gianni. Unforgettable: Jean Jacques Bugat of Vogue- and Andy Warhol - fame. Aldo Fallai – the official photographer of Armani checked in and shot great Armani presentations at the Diana Majestic. Maestro Armani personally came one day to oversee the shooting. Designer Rocco Barocco called the Diana his home in Milan, so did Katharine Hamnet, Federica Fontana and Gucci designer Kevin Krier. Helmut Newton arrived, his assistant Mario Testino started to pave his own way to become one of this world’s 'shooting' stars. Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and the glossies across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans got their supply from stars like Tiziano Magni, Guido Cegani, Henri Cartier-Bresson and German photographer Claus Wickrath, who is a regular at the Diana since 1982 'when it was a sleepy hotel! I am at home here.' Luchino Visconti was famous for entering the restaurant right at the moment when it closed. Waving at the waiter the genious movie director use to ask for the chef, whom he – with a smile – begged for 'Just two noodels'. British photographer David Bailey arrived from London for the first time in 1975. His simple entry in the guest book a quarter of a century later reads: 'The Best Front Desk' bringing it to the point: it is the personal service, the unmatched front desk with personalities who have been here for decades. And it is good to notice that there is the young generation in their footsteps, ready to – one day – become great concierges, too. Talking about models. We already learnt that Jerry Hall enjoyed the Diana, but only recently British supermodel Naomi Campbell confessed that the Diana was the first hotel she ever stayed at in Milan. Ana Hickman is an other regular. Don’t think it’s only fashion! There are the actors, the artists, the singers. Everybody who has a name in the modern world today loves the Diana. Here comes Demetra Hampton, there you see Kirsti Toscani, the wife of 'shocking' Benetton photographer Oliviero Toscani. Among the actors who arrived recently were Daria Nicolodi and Dario Argento, Commissario Rex Gedeon Burkhardt, Anthony Delon, Corrado Guzzanti, Francesco Paoloantoni, Carlo Cecchi, Asia Argento, Serena Dandini, Giuliana De Sio, Ornella Muti, Maria Rosaria Omaggio, Francesca Reggiani, Catherine Spaak, Anna Valle (Miss Italia 2001) and actress and theatre director Maurizio Scaparro (Eliseo Roma). Authors Dominique Lapierre and Kuki Gallmann are on the guest list, too. So is US best-selling writer Nelson deMille (By The Rivers of Babylon) and Greek born artist Jannis Kounnelis. More celebrities include presenter Paula Barale, Piero Chiambretti, director Folco Quilici and Italian showstars like Clarissa Bart, Lorella Cuccarini, Melba Ruffo, The world of sports is represented by ski star Manuela Di Centa, AC Milan player Billy Costacurta and Andrei Shevchenko (picture), Inter star Ronaldo and Bobo Vieri, and ex-soccer star Frank Rijkaard as well as Olympic champion Massimiliano Rosolino or bicycle legend Francesco Moser. An ATB tennis tournament brought Goran Ivanisevic, Andrei Medvedev, Marco Rosset and Marat Safin to the Diana. The Diana has a particular history of famous singers who have made the hotel their temporary home away from home while recording in Milan. The first one that springs to mind is Simply Red and its lead singer Mick Hucknall (left), who has been here during the early days of the band (Picture Book). It was the tripple-S time, as concierge Felice remembers: ‘We had Simply Red, Simple Mind and the Spandau Ballet staying with us for weeks while they were recording in studios nearby. At that time we didn’t even have TVs in all rooms, and we had rooms without bath. That was in the 80s. When somebody wanted a TV, we had to bring it from another room. When somebody wanted a bath, we had to bring him to another room’. Mario Ragni of MBO music has a long relation to the Diana. In 1986 he had the idea to bring together Gianni Morandi, Umberto Tozzi and Enrico Rugieri. He rented rooms for Morandi and Tozzi at the Diana (Rugieri lives in Milan) and there they stayed for three weeks. The result became famous as 'Si può dare di più' (written by Bigazzi, Tozzi and Reifoli) and won the San Remo Music Festival. The Diana was also the home away from home of Gian Carlo Bigazzi, the producer and song writer (Ti amo, Gloria, Tu). Covers shot at the Diana subsequently sold millions of records. Gian Carlo Bigazzi wrote 'Veronica verrai' for Adriano Celentano at the Diana. Marco Masini stayed at the hotel during a production and so did the 1992 San Remo winners Baldi and Bertoli ('Non amarmi'). More recent visitors include Lorenzo Arbore, Carlos Santana, Indonesian singer Anggun Sasmi, Terence Trente d'Albi, Sophie Ellen Baxtor, Miguel Bosé, Claudio Baglioni, Luca Barbarossa, Alex Britti, Luca Carboni, Cesare Cremonini, Jarabe De Palo, Renato Fiacchini, Renato Zero, Ivano Fossati, Fiorella Mannoia, Kylie Minogue, Youssov Ndour, Filippo Neviani (Nec), Piero , Raffaele Riefoli (RAF; another good old friend of the Diana), Valeria Rossi, Adrian Thaws (Tricky), Giorgia Todrani, Kelly Yoice and the bands of Matia Bazar, Tatu and The Black Crowes. Photographer Max Peef presented his work in the restaurant. Kiera Chaplin arrived. The granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin runs her own LA-based production outfit, ADB, Inc.: 'I want to do the kinds of stories that you don't see anywhere, underground movies or character-driven films,' she says. 'I don’t want to be in that stereotypical little model-actress box.’ Welcome to the Diana, Ms Chaplin. We are confident it suits you.

-2003/4 Valeriano Antonioli
2004/5 Martina Boettcher