Secluded in the heart of an elegant, peaceful part of central Milan, Villa Necchi Campiglio was designed in the early 1930s by the architect Piero Portaluppi at the behest of sisters Nedda and Gigina Necchi and Gigina’s husband Angelo Campiglio, who embodied the cultured Lombard upper-middle class and were very much in synch with their time.
The building, nestling in an enchanted garden complete with tennis court and swimming pool (amongst the earliest such facilities in a domestic context in Milan), is characterized by generously proportioned, linear volumes; while the first floor served as a prestigious reception area, with the magnificent veranda overlooking the greenery, the upper floor played host to the bedrooms. These spaces were conceived for people who were hard-working but also capable of savouring their free time in the company of guests and friends, even in ways that were rather unconventional for that period – this explains the presence of the screening room and the gymnasium. Here, innovation was translated into both comfort and efficiency, as evinced by the lifts, dumbwaiters, internal intercoms, reinforced sliding doors and walled cellars. All of these luxurious, modern features made the villa one of the iconic residences of the period.
The splendour of the deco furnishings, the everyday items and the important artworks has been embellished of late by the bequest of the de’ Micheli and Gian Ferrari collections, which contain works by such major names as Tiepolo, Canaletto, Sironi, De Chirico, Martini and Wildt. Since November 2017, the villa has also been blessed with the 21 works on paper from the Collection of Guido Sforni (1935-1975), including pieces by such 20th-century masters as Picasso, Fontana, Modigliani and Matisse, amongst others.
The villa is today open to all, thus respecting the wishes of the Necchi sisters, who in 2001 entrusted the residence to FAI on the proviso that it would be transformed into a place to enjoy and to visit time and again, thanks also to the delightful garden, the numerous scheduled events and the stylish bistro concealed within the grounds.
[Text from FAI]
