The Gruppo Mondial adopts a space at Villa Necchi Campiglio: a Milanese gem nestled in the quietest corner of the city center.

In 2001, sisters Gigina and Nedda Necchi donated their residence to FAI (the Italian National Trust). Following a significant conservative restoration, the villa was transformed into a stunning house museum, open to the public since May 2008.

Over the past ten years, Villa Necchi Campiglio has been enriched with important permanent collections and various works of art donated to FAI. It has also seen the addition of new infrastructure—such as the glass pavilion—and new visitor services.

To preserve the beauty of this truly unique place, FAI invited companies to contribute to the maintenance of this heritage site, supporting the protection of Milan’s cultural legacy.

Mondial, a long-time supporter of FAI, immediately responded to the call, offering concrete support for the next ten years. Mondial has always valued the preservation of artistic heritage, fully aware that protecting beauty creates lasting value—for us, and for everyone.

Villa Necchi Campiglio – A Residence Safeguarding Extraordinary Masterpieces

The study at Villa Necchi Campiglio has a distinctly masculine character. It was designed from the beginning as the study of the master of the house. The rosewood paneling on the walls conceals a safe for the residence’s silverware and two cabinets that served as professional archives for Angelo Campiglio.

Despite having a degree in medicine, Angelo—who came from the upper industrial bourgeoisie—soon chose to assist his father-in-law by founding NECA, a major cast-iron foundry in Pavia. The company specialized in enamelled appliances and remained active until 1972.

As early as the 19th century, the family patriarch, Giuseppe Necchi, entered the mechanical engineering industry. In the 1920s, he expanded the business together with Nedda and Gigina’s brother, Vittorio, who began producing the famous Necchi sewing machines—an icon of industrial and modern Italy.

The room is intentionally understated in its decor. Angelo’s managerial austerity and the functional nature of a working space would have made any excessive ornamentation inappropriate.

To avoid a sense of affectation, the original ceiling—designed by architect Piero Portaluppi and decorated with a whimsical labyrinth motif and lace-like trim—was soon concealed by a white coffered false ceiling, likely designed by Tomaso Buzzi.

Recent restorations have rightly brought Portaluppi’s playful labyrinth back to light, offering a previously unseen element for the study of the architect’s body of work.

At the time of its creation, the study was furnished in a modern and minimalist style, in line with aristocratic decorative trends of the era. It originally featured a 1930s-style burl wood desk, which was later moved to a service room in the attic. In its place—reflecting a desire to elevate the home with antique pieces—the Necchi Campiglio family installed a beautiful mahogany table from the early Empire period, crafted by Tuscan cabinetmaker Giovanni Socci.

The piece is equipped with a sophisticated mechanism allowing it to compact into itself, incorporating a lectern, folding wings, and a chair.

As for the paintings, in addition to three works by Filippo de Pisis, the room features Still Life with Books, a powerful and rigorous 1932 painting by Carlo Carrà. Two other still lifes by Felice Casorati, although not part of the Gian Ferrari Collection, were acquired through subsequent donations.