ITALIANO 
The first Milanese day hotel was opened in 1924 by a Bolognese businessman, Cleopatro Cobianchi, with luxurious furniture and finishings: precious marble, prestigious crafted furniture, glass and ceramics and brass fittings reminiscent of that era, from Liberty to Dèco.
» View historic photos of the Milanese Cobianchi which we were kindly allowed to publish by Mrs. Laura Bolognini Cobianchi.
The idea of uniting personal care and wellbeing services under one roof, such as bathrooms, showers, hairdressers, barbers, manicures, dry-cleaners, umbrella hire or hat maintenance, as well as selling train, theatre and telephone tickets, was a resounding success.
You can get a better sense of what the Cobianchi was like during that era by reading to the fantasy tale " On the 25th April 1926, a gift one eighteen year old will never forget".
The story is by Giuliana Battipede and was produced by Recstory for Milano Tourist.
The protagonists of the story are naturally made up... NOT ALL OF THEM though.
References to real events ARE not by chance and the locations are entirely HISTORIC.
The text version of the "Gift" is available: 
The Gift (PDF format - 153 KB)
The Cobianchi day hotels opened in all the main Italian cities for travellers, but also for the Milanese, in an age when not everyone had a bathroom in their home.
Of particular interest, a testimony provided by the grandchildren of the founder of the Milanese Cobianchi: 'The memoir'.
The text version of the "Interview" is available: Memory and transformation (PDF format - 84 KB)
In 2003 the premises of the former day hotel were converted to host the Tourist Information and Welcoming Offices.
The project, which was entrusted to the Benevolo studio, aimed to preserve the original style, an example of which is found in the entrance located under the porticos in Piazza Duomo.
In January 2007 the Tourist Information and Welcoming Office left Palazzo dell'Arengario (which will host the new Museum of the Twentieth Century) and moved to the former Cobianchi day hotel.
In April 2008 the Cobianchi premises were further renovated: the area underwent further changes to also become an "urban lounge", an interactive, multifunctional area prepared to become one of the symbolic locations in promoting tourism in Milan, in view of Expo 2015.
Today, as in the past, this area is available to tourists and citizens, blending tradition and the contemporary with the creation of the new events area.
