Milan, April 11 – Villa Pestarini, a significant work by renowned architect Franco Albini, will be open to the public for the first time ever during Alcova’s 11th edition, scheduled from April 20 to April 26, 2026. This landmark event offers a rare opportunity to explore a previously private residence that embodies Albini’s early architectural vision.
Alcova’s Dual Venue Approach
Alcova’s upcoming edition will utilize two distinct venues that reflect Milan’s urban identity. In addition to Villa Pestarini, Alcova will unveil new spaces within the Military Hospital of Baggio, a vast green complex in the Primaticcio district. Together, these locations create an architectural dialogue between preservation and reinvention, highlighting the city’s rich design heritage.
Villa Pestarini: A Unique Pre-War Work
Carlo Venegoni, writing for the Milan Order of Architects, describes Villa Pestarini as a unique project in Franco Albini’s pre-World War II portfolio. It stands as the only residence designed solely by Albini without collaboration, a testament to his independent vision within a professional context often marked by strong relationships with Milan’s upper-class clientele. Albini’s early career saw him designing numerous interiors and furnishings for prominent industrial families such as the Falck, Caprotti, Vanzetti, and Ferrarin.
Architectural Influences and Design Principles
The design of Villa Pestarini exhibits clear references to the ‘Steel Structure House’ built two years prior for the V Triennale under the guidance of Giuseppe Pagano. More broadly, the building reveals an affinity with avant-garde Central European architecture, particularly German and Scandinavian styles, evident in its conception of the internal staircase.
The entire two-story building is rigorously organized into two longitudinal sections: a ‘serving’ section facing the street and a ‘served’ section opening onto the internal garden. The former houses functional and service spaces, including pathways, the kitchen, and a bathroom. The latter accommodates the main domestic living areas, arranged in sequence: a study, living room, and dining room. This clear distinction is visible in both the floor plan and elevation, forming the organizing principle of the entire composition.
Dynamic Spatial Solutions and Interior Fluidity
The two volumes of the villa are slightly staggered, a solution that imparts plastic dynamism to the building and allows for articulated entrances: a main entrance protected by a bedroom balcony on the upper floor, and a service entrance. The interiors also reflect this pursuit of spatial fluidity; the rooms in the ‘served’ section can be connected or separated by sliding panels, offering significant flexibility of use.
The Central Role of the Staircase
A central element of the design is the staircase, located in the ‘serving’ section and conceived as the true hub of circulation. This theme, which would recur in Albini’s more mature works, finds one of its earliest and most effective expressions here. The staircase, lightened by white Carrara marble steps, interacts with the same material flooring in the service area, creating a contrast with the warm parquet of the living room. Its lightness is further emphasized by the diffused light from the translucent glass block wall behind it.
The juxtaposition of the staircase and the translucent surface echoes typical Northern European architectural solutions of the period. In Villa Pestarini, however, it acquires a unique value, generating a refined play of light and shadow that is also reflected on the exterior. Excluding this glass block opening, the facades follow a logical coherence with the internal bipartition: compact surfaces with narrow, vertical openings prevail towards the street, while the garden-facing side opens up with large, full-height windows, enriched by a terrace with a pergola.
Later Interventions and Enduring Coherence
In 1949, Albini revisited the building, designing an additional floor characterized by a corrugated white metal sheet cladding. This addition completed and updated the villa’s image while maintaining its compositional coherence. Villa Pestarini thus stands as an exemplary work from Albini’s initial phase: a laboratory of ideas where functional rigor, international influences, and an early exploration of domestic space quality intertwine.
