Villa Necchi Campiglio
Step into 1930s Milan with Piero Portaluppi's architectural wonder.
Living Rooms is a column on YGL that takes a closer look into the designs, details, and character of spaces. A study of what makes a house a home, even when it’s fictional. I believe in giving life to one’s environment and nurturing the relationship with regular care. Here’s to our humble abodes!
Most of the spaces we will cover in this column will be fictional or private, however, this one happens to be a home I have visited personally. Back in 2018, I took myself on a solo trip to Italy. Before I boarded my flight, I wrote down a list of reasons why I wanted to spend six weeks alone in a foreign country. It’s a very long list of personal goals and culinary delights, but one of the bullet points reads:
I want to be welcomed with the biggest most grandiose doors I’ve ever seen, followed by obnoxiously high ceilings. I want to stand in rooms with so much vast space it almost feels wasteful. I want to find the finest details only a perfectionist would see, and savour the rich stories they tell. I want textures, colours, and generational collections of objects to convince me that I’m not really a minimalist.
Italy is full of architectural gems. Coming from North America, you can’t walk more than a few steps without looking at a building in complete awe. The Villa Necchi Campiglio is something unlike it’s surroundings though, a true Milanese treasure. If you’ve seen the movie I Am Love (2009) or House of Gucci (2021) then you will be familiar with this villa. The Italian film director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) is known for selecting exceptional spaces to play a role in his work and, being a fan, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered the villa was open to the public for a mere €12. My bullet point prayer had been answered.
The Villa Necchi Campiglio
Imagine hiring a famous architect and requesting they build you a “masterpiece”, then giving them an unlimited budget and making sure they spare no expense. That’s exactly what the Necchi sisters did in the 1930s when they purchased property in Milan’s city centre. After inheriting a fortune from their father’s cast iron foundry and brother’s sewing machine company, they sought out Piero Portaluppi and gave him a task that not many architects can say they’ve experienced. The house was built between 1932 and 1935 for Nedda and Gigina, along with Gigina’s husband Angelo Campiglio.
This was, and still is, a very unique villa for the location. Completely private from the surrounding streets, the grounds are enclosed by quiet gardens and fragrant wisteria. With a layout typical for a country house, nothing like you see in the city, it effortlessly hides in plain sight.
From the moment you set foot on the property, you’re transported to the lives of the Necchi sisters and dazzled with the sophisticated allure of 1930s Milan. Portaluppi brilliantly blends art deco and rationalist styles with simple touches and luxury materials. While remaining true to Milan, the space is filled with worldly detail: gold panels on pocket sliding doors, walnut wood flooring, side tables made of pure lapis lazuli, more marble than your eyes have ever seen, and Milan’s very first private heated swimming pool and backyard tennis court.
Moving inside, the grand lobby acts as a seasoned concierge and, although it has seen aristocrats, elites, and royalty, you are welcomed just the same - like an old friend. The buzz from lavish parties hosted over the years is still in the air as you approach the opulent marble staircase ahead. I’m hooked already and I’ve barely seen anything.
There is a distinct change in style as you glide between rooms, yet just enough cohesiveness to maintain the feeling of a wealthy family home. Each activity was intentionally thought out and supported - the room to entertain, to smoke, to read, to dine, to drink, to work, to sleep. I feel both productive and relaxed, as if the house is supporting me to succeed. The ceilings in each room have their own unique design, all equally beautiful. I loved the dining room ceiling, which is covered in astrological motifs, and the library ceiling of diamond patterned stucco. I could go on and on about the details of every door knob - nothing was forgotten or overlooked. A true work of art.
The bedrooms contain original Chanel and Dior clothing, along with wardrobes full of designer bags and accessories. Vintage perfume bottles line the bathroom counter tops and original sketches done by Matisse and Picasso are casually hung on the walls. The villa is a museum in itself, housing timeless sculptures and art you would pay admission to see alone.
The Villa had five full time employees while it was in operation, who lived in the staff quarters and maintained all aspects of the property. The kitchen and laundry rooms are still set up in the way the staff organized them - with branded linens folded on the tables and custom china stacked neatly in the cupboards. The efficient work flow that pumped through the veins of this house years before is still very present. Neither of the sisters had any children and it seems the space was cared for as the creation that would carry their names on after they passed.
It’s such a gift that we’re allowed inside to experience the lives that walked the barrel ceiling corridors of this grand architectural wonder. Although I still consider myself a minimalist, I could also see myself living quite comfortably in this luxurious villa.
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