Vertigo Milano by Purobeach at nhow Milano – Review

nhow Milano is the hotel that helped shape the modern-day Zona Tortona. When it opened almost twenty years ago, it was one of the early catalysts of the area’s transformation from a derelict industrial outpost into one of Milan’s districts dedicated to art, fashion, and design. Today it is home to an urban pool club, a destination roof terrace called Vertigo Milano by Purobeach. This is one more reason to visit the Nhow Milano hotel.

nhow Milano occupies the former General Electric factory, and traces of its history remain. In the lobby, industrial spaces and artefacts can be seen beneath glass floor panels, contrasting with the bold chandeliers in punchy shades illuminating art that changes with each season.

Step out of the playfully decorated lift and the atmosphere shifts. Even the scent changes. Each floor at nhow Milano has its own visual and olfactory identity, a creative journey as your head to the rooftop oasis above. And this summer, Vertigo Milano by Purobeach is where the action is.

Vertigo Milano by Purobeach

This rooftop destination, a 750-square metre open-air space, is one of the new urban pool clubs created by Purobeach, the group known for its sought-after beach clubs in Mallorca, Menorca and the Algarve. In Milan, they’ve gone vertical. In collaboration with nhow Milano, they’ve created something that reflects the city’s appetite for places with personality.

The design is playful and bold. Round shallow pools dot the terrace, and a cocktail bar anchors the space. The infinity pool, running the length of the roof terrace, appears to float above the street below, its glass base windows offering an exhilarating and unexpected view. This is a place for hotel guests and locals to mix, lounging on sunbeds with chilled drinks and light dishes of burrata salads, poké bowls, crispy shrimp or a Puro octopus burger from the Mediterranean-led menu.

The pace at Vertigo shifts as the day evolves. Yoga sessions and light brunches in partnership with CAPSULA are how things start.  Then hotel guests come up to work on their tans. By late afternoon, Milanese regulars drift in for aperitivo hour. As the sun dips, DJs take over. Themes rotate through the week, and the mood can swing from relaxed to celebratory to something more exclusive, depending on the night. Some guests are sipping glasses of Franciacorta with friends. Others dance to their favourite summer tunes.

nhow Milano

In the hotel, rooms come in more than eight categories, including the nhow Room, nhow Premium Room, nhow Junior Suite, and configurations for groups or families like the nhow Quadruple, Friends and Family Room, Family Connecting Room, and Family Adjoining Room. The most coveted key is the nhow Penthouse by Matteo Thun King, a suite personally designed by the architect who originally reimagined the building. Inside, bold features, a glass-bottomed bathtub, and an abundance of space.

Hotel corridors retain the original factory structure with bold steel columns standing sentry. Nothing about this property feels standard or predictable.

The restaurant on the ground floor offers Milanese favourites like the veal cutlet (cotoletta alla milanese) and saffron risotto (Risotto alla Milanese) as well as international dishes. Service is informal but polished. In the Karim Rashid-designed lounge bar, guests linger over drinks or return to Vertigo for a nightcap under the stars.

Zona Tortona

Zona Tortona itself has become a destination. On a warm July walk to the canal, I passed newly built apartments wrapped in greenery, buzzy bars and walls marked by impressive street art. MUDEC, just across from nhow, was hosting a photography show and its permanent anthropological collection.

Around the corner, Armani/Silos offers something very different, but just as immersive. Once a granary with industrial silos, it is now a museum. Armani/Silos was personally remodelled under the creative direction of Giorgio Armani to house his creative archive. Its current exhibition, PRIVÉ 2005–2025, marks twenty years of his Haute Couture line and ten years of the museum. The pieces, created by hand in the ateliers of Palazzo Orsini, are shown without barriers or glass, so their stitching, textures, and movement can be fully appreciated. Armani curated the exhibition himself, skipping chronological order in favour of emotion, silhouette, and atmosphere. This is Privé, not private as in hidden, but personal and bespoke.

Back at Vertigo, the rooftop is alive. More drinks, another swim, it’s always vibrant. There may be plenty of stylish hotels in Milan, but very few that let you dive into the sky, as you can in the infinite pool at Vertigo by Purobeach.