Spadari Al Duomo by Matthew Barker

Achingly chic boutique number a Prada button’s lob from the city’s fashion and business districts. Arty but plush functionalism (contemporary local artist’s work adorn the walls), with an affable air and polished service. Very Milan. 36 rooms (three suites). They say: "The nearest thing in Milan to a boutique hotel. Ask for a room with views of the Duomo (from the fifth floor up)" (Travel & Leisure)

Hotel Attractions:In typical boutique style bereft of mollycoddling add-ons, there’s not even a restaurant - although you do get breakfast-posing opportunities in the American Bar.

Local Attractions:Not everybody’s favourite Italian city by any stretch, but has a historical and cultural underbelly often overlooked amongst all the brash modernism and label-fetish consumerism. There’s La Scala of course (highly unimpressive from the outside, hidden behind the Galleria), and the Pinacoteca di Brera Museum, all close by; a bit further on is the S. Maria Delle Grazie church, home to da Vinci’s recently - and controversially - restored Last Supper fresco, and the magnificent late Gothic Duomo (Cathedral), watched over by Perego’s Madonnina, is right on the doorstep. Now that's out of the way, let's go shopping: head for Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, (with coffee in one of its grand cafes in between stores), also via Montenapoleone and via della Spiga. Antiques markets along the Naviglio Grande. Dinner at Boeucc for those with a sympathetic bank manager.