Alcova has, year after year at Salone del Mobile, accustomed us to unveiling previously unseen spaces, and this year it reveals to the public Villa Pestarini, the first and only villa in Milan designed by the master of Rationalism, Franco Albini. In 1938, a very young Albini, just thirty-three years old, designed the small villa a short walk from Piazza Tripoli in an area of Milan designated by the 1930s zoning plan for the construction of villas and single-family homes. The structure is completely isolated on all four sides, allowing Albini to experiment with the principles of minimalism and geometry that characterize the modern movement, designing a perfect “machine for living” (in the effective definition of Pagano in Casabella Costruzioni, 1939). Originally, the villa’s space was arranged over two levels, but after World War II, at the owners’ request, the villa was expanded. At first, Albini was reluctant and not entirely in favor of the idea of altering his essential parallelepiped, but he eventually agreed, and in 1949 he added a second story, recognizable from the outside by its corrugated metal cladding.
Villa Pestarini, ph Luigi Fiano, courtesy courtesy Alcova, Milano
Giuseppe Pagano presented the young architect’s project in the pages of “Casabella Costruzioni” in October 1939: “The foundation of harmony between artistic imagination and the reality of the craft is so deeply rooted in Franco Albini that it transforms theory into a moral stance and infuses every element of his architecture with that controlled adherence to an artistic scheme that appears cold and absolute, but is in reality alive with the conscious will of an artistic ideal tenaciously pursued”. That artistic rationalism so dear to his friend and mentor Edoardo Persico, whom he met in the spring of 1932, whose enlightened thinking would transform the architect into a faithful disciple of a rationalism rich in references and ties to tradition. A rigorous and poetic approach that combines functionalism and lightness. In the interiors of the Villa, Albini stages what Gio Ponti would describe in the pages of Domus magazine as a “course in ultra-modern interior design”. The layout of the spaces within Villa Pestarini establishes one of the most established themes in the interiors designed by the group of young rationalists: the creation of a large living-dining area divided only by open-sided walls. An architectural motif inspired by German avant-garde interiors. It is above all the visual lightness of the interiors that invites designers to engage directly with Albini’s legacy, situating it within the present.
Villa Pestarini, ph Luigi Fiano, courtesy courtesy Alcova, Milano
Giuseppe Pagano presented the young architect’s project in the pages of “Casabella Costruzioni” in October 1939: “The foundation of harmony between artistic imagination and the reality of the craft is so deeply rooted in Franco Albini that it transforms theory into a moral stance and infuses every element of his architecture with that controlled adherence to an artistic scheme that appears cold and absolute, but is in reality alive with the conscious will of an artistic ideal tenaciously pursued”. That artistic rationalism so dear to his friend and mentor Edoardo Persico, whom he met in the spring of 1932, whose enlightened thinking would transform the architect into a faithful disciple of a rationalism rich in references and ties to tradition. A rigorous and poetic approach that combines functionalism and lightness. In the interiors of the Villa, Albini stages what Gio Ponti would describe in the pages of Domus magazine as a “course in ultra-modern interior design”. The layout of the spaces within Villa Pestarini establishes one of the most established themes in the interiors designed by the group of young rationalists: the creation of a large living-dining area divided only by open-sided walls. An architectural motif inspired by German avant-garde interiors. It is above all the visual lightness of the interiors that invites designers to engage directly with Albini’s legacy, situating it within the present.
Villa Pestarini, veduta del soggiorno, foto d’archivio Fondazione Franco Albini, courtesy Fondazione Franco Albini, Milano
Originally, in the living room, facing the large windows that open onto the terrace and garden -creating an atmospheric connection between indoors and outdoors – the architect had placed a seating arrangement consisting of small armchairs in white maple with foam cushions and backs covered in dark red or floral-print fabric. Among these was the first prototype of what would become the Luisa armchair, produced by Poggi and Compasso d’Oro in 1955. Among the designers present who will engage with this legacy: Around the Studio, Basetale, Elisa Uberti, Playinghouse, News & Coffee x St. Moritz, Saridis of Athens, Sema Topaloğlu Studio, Worn Studio. Particularly connected to Albini is the presentation of the Boccamonte furniture collection, which celebrates the work of architect Luisa Castiglioni, who was Albini’s student. Visits to the villa are open until April 26, 2026 by reservation through the Alcova website. At Fondazione Franco Albini, located in via Saffi 27, visitors can also make reservations (by emailing info@fondazionefrancoalbini.com) to explore archival materials related to the project.
Arianna Mongardi
Info:
Villa Pestarini
Via Mogadiscio, 2/4 – Milano
www.alcova.xyz/visit/milano-2026
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