A visit to Villa Necchi Campiglio is an
opportunity to delve into the Milano of the first half of the twentieth
century, with its rituals, its worldliness and its etiquette.
It is part of the Circuit of Historic House Museums of Milano,
a city museum network established in 2008 with the aim of promoting the
Milanese cultural and artistic heritage through the history of its
protagonists by conserving the personal collections in unique.
Villa Necchi Campiglio is located in the heart of the city and is surrounded by a large garden
with a swimming pool and tennis court. The Necchi Campiglio family
certainly lived in style: they were well-known exponents of the Lombard
industrial bourgeoisie and led prosperous and elegant lives.
Their home is the result of a harmonious melange of architecture and
decorative arts; it is a remarkable example of superb style. Built
between 1932 and 1935 by Milanese architect Piero Portaluppi, and
subsequently renovated by fellow architect Tommaso Buzzi, the house
marked the entry of Rationalism into modern architecture.
In 2001 the property was bequeathed to Fai – the Italian Cultural Heritage Fund – thanks to the generosity of the family members – Gigina Necchi Campiglio and Nedda Necchi.
Two major donations provide further reason for visiting the Villa Necchi Campiglio: firstly Claudia Gian Ferrari’s early twentieth-century art collection, with works by Sironi, Martini and de Chirico and, secondly, the refined eighteenth-century collection of paintings and decorative arts by Alighiero and Emilietta De Micheli with works by Canaletto, Rosalba Carriera and Tiepolo.