Villa Necchi Campiglio

Among people with an interest in modern architecture and design, the name Piero Portaluppi is viewed with great respect. 

A modernist master, he is famous for his combination of rational solutions and elegant aesthetics, never compromising in creating simple yet refined buildings and interiors. He was born and lived most of his life in Milan.

In 1912, he initiated what would become a lifelong collaboration with Ettore Conti, a leading figure in the Italian power sector. Conti introduced Portaluppi to the Milanese nobility, and Portaluppi even ended up marrying Conti’s adopted daughter, Lia Baglia. 

In a secluded and bourgeois part of central Milan, not far from the city’s fashion district, Villa Necchi Campiglio sits in a large, quiet garden. 

Designed by Portaluppi at the behest of sisters Nedda and Gigina Necchi, as well as Gigina’s husband Angelo Campiglio, the villa, completed in 1935, is one of the architect’s masterpieces. 

Generously proportioned and defined by linear volumes, the first floor serves as a prestigious reception area, as was customary in prestigious homes at the time. 

It includes a dining room, a smoking room, a library, and a grand salon. 

The upper floor is reserved for the sisters’ private apartments and guest rooms. 

The villa had all the latest comforts of its time: Lifts, dumbwaiters, internal intercoms, reinforced sliding doors and walled cellars. 

When the villa was completed, it reflected the modernist and progressive art déco ideals. 

After having lived in the house a few years, the trio wanted to soften the harshness of the geometrical modernity. They hired architect Tomaso Buzzi, who carefully reworked some of Portaluppi’s boldest design ideas to make the house more suitable for a conservative lifestyle, finding inspiration in the Louis Quinze style of the 18th century. 

The tension between tradition and progression can further be detected in the villa’s furniture, ranging from art déco to antique furniture.

The art works present in the villa today are a later addition, donated by the de Micheli and Gian Ferrari collections, and contain names such as Tiepolo, Canaletto, Sironi, De Chircio, Martini and Wildt. 

More recently, artworks from the collection of Guido Storni – including pieces by masters such as Picasso, Fontana, Modigliani and Matisse – have been added.

Today, and according to the wishes of the two sisters, the villa is open to the public. 

Don’t miss the pleasant garden café, situated on the other side of the swimming pool from the villa. 

Villa Necchi Campiglio

Milan, Itay