Description
A masterpiece of Italian Rationalism, Villa Crespi is a rare example of a hunting lodge from the second half of the 1930s. Vittorio Crespi gave Milanese architect Giuseppe De Finetti free rein to design it. Its design shows influences from architect Adolf Loos, whom De Finetti met in the 1920s during his stay in Vienna before settling permanently in Milan. The villa, austere on the exterior and entirely in exposed brick, is spread over three floors, centered around a central body with 8-meter-high ceilings. One floor is entirely dedicated to hunting, another to the living rooms, and another to the bedrooms. For the interiors, De Finetti chose fine parquet flooring and boiseries in Lebanese cedar and Slavonian oak, and the walls are frescoed by Gianfilippo Usellini. The villa is in excellent condition and shows no historical stratification, thus remaining unchanged as it was designed. What makes the villa unique is the attention paid to its relationship with the surrounding landscape, thanks to the openings and large windows, the semicircular terrace, and the "ladies' bridge" overlooking a vast four-hectare park. These elements create a direct connection between man, nature, and the Ticino Park. The villa was designed to offer maximum comfort to guests after hunting trips. Among the illustrious figures who have stayed there are European nobles such as Duke Philip of Edinburgh and the Prince Consort of the Queen of the Netherlands, as well as French and Spanish aristocrats, statesmen, and well-known professionals in the arts and entertainment industry.
