Located in a horseshoe-shaped building that abuts Piazza Missori and its equestrian statue and having opened in 1949 on the site of a 19th-century inn and stables for cavaliers, the four-star Hotel dei Cavalieri has something of a horsey theme that other Milan hotels don’t. It also has a little-known design pedigree, with a striking 1950s wood-panelled lobby designed by Gio Ponti (he also designed the ninth floor, where the hotel’s largest rooms can be found). The recently renovated lobby and bar are now stylishly fitted with chunky black politburo furniture to match the dark-suited business clientele, although guestrooms still provide a welcome time warp from the design – heavy offerings dotted throughout Milan. On the tenth floor is a roof terrace from which the San Siro football stadium can be seen on a clear day, with a restaurant and bar that are open in the summer. The first-floor restaurant is open for dinner all year. With quadruple glazing in the 200 rooms and four suites, it’s easy to forget the central location of this thoroughbred hotel.