The Alcova design fair is returning to Milan this year, occupying a historic site alongside a new public venue dedicated to modernist architecture. The event takes place at the long-unused Baggio Military Hospital complex, originally built in 1931, and for the first time at the nearby Villa Pestarini, a Rationalist villa designed in 1939 by architect Franco Albini.

At Villa Pestarini, the spotlight is also on Luisa Castiglioni, an architect whose work flourished in the 1960s but has since largely faded from public attention. Castiglioni collaborated with Albini and designed three modernist villas in Boccamonte, a small fishing village on Italy’s Ligurian coast. These villas were holiday retreats for prominent intellectuals of the era, including the publisher Giulio Einaudi and writers Italo Calvino and Cesare Pavese. Each villa was notable not only for its architectural design but also for its custom furnishings, lighting, and details, all conceived by Castiglioni.

The three properties, collectively known as Boccamonte, are now undergoing a revival as vacation rentals following a restoration led by Castiglioni’s granddaughter, architect Maddalena Scarzella, and her partner Matteo Petrucci. Scarzella describes the villas as “houses as manifestos” that encapsulate her grandmother’s philosophy of architecture as a political and ethical practice. According to Scarzella, Castiglioni emphasized a rigorous, geometric style that fostered harmony between the occupant, the structure, and the surrounding Mediterranean environment.

The Alcova exhibition titled “Houses in Progress” features newly crafted designs based on Castiglioni’s original archives, including a table and trestle made from iroko wood and a pair of lamps inspired by her work. The presentation aims to highlight Castiglioni’s contributions as one of the few women practicing architecture in her time, emphasizing her mission to integrate ethical considerations into her designs.

“Houses in Progress” is on display daily at Villa Pestarini, located at 2/4 Via Mogadiscio, Milan, coinciding with the broader Alcova fair. The event brings renewed attention to a forgotten figure in Italian modernist architecture and underscores the continued relevance of her work to contemporary design and cultural heritage.