The FAI Spring Days have now reached their 30th iteration, focusing on the role of historical and cultural heritage for the identity of our country. During the weekend of 26-27 March 2022, over 700 locations will be open to visitors in 400 Italian cities (for reservations: giornatefai.it). In Lombardy, the list includes three sites that narrate extraordinary stories of design.
Palazzo INPS, Milan
Built in 1928-31 and reopened after restoration in June 2021, the INPS headquarters at Piazza Missori 10 was the first project by the architect Marcello Piacentini in Milan. He formulated the structure not only as a functional space of Renaissance inspiration (adjusted to the rationalist style of the Milanese school at the time), but also as a place to furnish and decorate with the contribution of outstanding craftsmen and artists, from the Deco cabinetmaker Mario Quarti to the painter Cipriano Oppo. A manifesto of style. During FAI Spring Days you can admire spaces normally closed to visitors, including the monumental helical staircase and the meeting room on the first floor.
Villa Borsani, Varedo (MB)
The splendid estate with garden of the architect, designer and entrepreneur Osvaldo Borsani – the founder of Tecno, together with his brother Fulgenzio – was designed by him from 1940 to 1943 as a residence adjacent to the family factory of ABV (Arredamenti Borsani Varedo). In contrast with the severe image of the exterior, the design of the rooms stands out for the use of precious materials and the presence of works of art and original creations by the likes of Agenore Fabbri, Lucio Fontana, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Giò Ponti and others, in active collaboration with the owner. For decades the villa has been a place of work and dialogue. Today it contains Archivio Osvaldo Borsani.
Molteni Museum, Giussano (MB)
A glass box inside which the Israeli designer Ron Gilad has invented a display structure made of very white surfaces and light: the museum of the Molteni group hosts exhibitions and events, and contains over 50 pieces of furniture and prototypes from the group’s various companies (Molteni&C, Dada, UniFor and Citterio), retracing the history of an Italian industrial firm founded in 1934, which since the 1950s has worked with internationally renowned designers: Michele De Lucchi, Foster + Partners, Jean Nouvel, Richard Sapper, Álvaro Siza and Vincent Van Duysen, just to name a few. Next to the structure, the QallaM space – a work of micro-architecture created by Patricia Urquiola – presents videos on designers and cutting-edge technologies.
