TWO EXHIBITIONS TO DRIVE THE RECOVERY
Although traditionally associated with the end of the summer and the imminent arrival of autumn, for me September has always represented a month of new beginnings, a kind of Spring.
Although traditionally associated with the end of the summer and the imminent arrival of autumn, for me September has always represented a month of new beginnings, a kind of Spring. Not only does school restart, but in Italy all the shops reopen and people begin to plan for the coming year. Anticipation for work to restart is building and Italy is putting its hopes on the world of the home, both with a series of tax breaks and with two international trade shows. The first is the Milan exhibition, renamed Supersalone, whose concept, according to the curator Stefano Boeri, is based on three pillars (no stands, purchasing through e-commerce and opening to the public), while the second is the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tiles and Bathroom Furnishings, the Cersaie of Bologna. Find out more about these two events in the Ville&Casali special feature. In addition, September’s instalment of the regular Project Kitchen supplement is full of projects, ideas and news about the room that is increasingly becoming the heart of the home.
Four projects, created by both Italian and international architects, provide examples of modern house design. All showcase an air of elegance and a mindset of order and harmony, intended, as Honoré de Balzac once said, to “convey poetry to things”. Three designers, Giorgio Balestra, Francesco Valentini and Elisa Romagnoli, have created a villa with pool in an idyllic setting in the Marche region of Italy. The architect Mario Rizza has designed a villa that creates the illusion of sailing on the sea of Syracuse, which was so dear to Virgil. Enhancing the original rustic features and marrying them harmoniously and elegantly with a contemporary design was the goal of architectural studio Officina 8a when tasked with designing a villa in the hills of Turin. Finally, Ville&Casali gained access to the Cape Town villa of architect Greg Truen, founder of the international architectural studio SAOTA, the most striking feature of which is an inverted pyramid roof to capture stunning views of the sky and the natural surroundings.
A report on Lake Como and its most breathtaking villas complete this edition with some interesting news: Lake Como’s property market is thriving once more thanks to the return of investors from Milan, who are flocking to the shores of the lake in search of a safe retreat after the pandemic.