Take a tour of Villa Cafetto in Italy

Villa Cafetto is difficult to understand at first glance. Built for artist Claudio Caffetto (1942-2022), this stunning house near Brescia, Lombardy, Italy, is something of a manifesto of sculptural architecture. The rich, layered architecture, a composition of geometric patterns and diagonal shapes in concrete, glass, and metal, is as visually complex and intricate as Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s famous 18th-century imaginary staircase etchings. , representing an Italian movement with tendencies toward late modernism and brutalism. It emerged in the 1970s under the influence of postmodern and high-tech trends that were popular at the time.

This particular chapter of 20th century architecture led to the creation of some of the most experimental and daring examples of modern domestic architecture, even though it has been forgotten over time. Villa Caffetto brings this era back into the spotlight.

Take a tour of Villa Cafetto

The house was designed by little-known architect Fausto Bontempi (born 1935). He was greatly influenced by his mentor, the famous Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa. The latter architecture is known for its formal complexity and attention to geometry. Bontempi graduated in 1962 and became a consultant for the Lombardy Urban Planning Department, working on the municipal regulatory plan of Lake Garda from 1970 to 1975. At the same time, it built several experimental houses and other projects around Lake Garda.

Primarily inspired by Scarpa’s refined attention to detail and materials, Bontempi challenged the brutalism of the time with an almost deconstructionist interpretation, creating wild works that defied classification. His most notable works include the Cooperativa La Valle apartment complex in Salo, built in 1968, and the cemetery in Moniga del Garda, built between 1978 and 1985. His projects pay homage not only to Scarpa’s approach, but also to the achievements of his contemporaries, including: Umberto Riva, Leonardo Ricci, Giuseppe Perughini and Carlo Graffi, all from brutalist aesthetics to intricate sculptural forms.

The medium of sculpture draws parallels between Bontempi’s career and that of one of his most enlightening clients, the young sculptor Claudio Caffetto, whom he met while working in Lombardy. Over the next two years, the two became close, and in 1972 the architect accompanied the artist on a business trip to France and Germany. In the same year, Bontempi was commissioned to design a house for Caffeto. The latter villa of the same name was built between 1973 and 1974.

“Our father lost his mother when he was young.When he was only 14 years old, he hired architect Bruno to help make ends meet. He found his first job as a draftsman in Fedrigoli’s studio, where he developed a passion for architecture and met many of the leading figures of Brescia’s art scene. I took part in a course in drawing and sculpture,” say Metilde and Giovanna Caffetto, Claudio’s daughters and the current owners of Villa Caffetto. The artist eventually entered the School of Fine Arts in Parma. During that time, through his work as a draftsman, he became acquainted with local pewter artisans and designed objects such as jugs and plates for them. He was only 19 years old when he opened Metalpilter, a small pewter craft workshop in Brescia, which later became his main business.

In 1963, Cafeto married Franca Manera. Together they began construction of a house and artist studio. “Our Father and Bontempi conceived the house as a universe composed of dynamic and harmonious relationships between the energetic elements of form, matter and light. On Sundays during construction, the site was always full of curiosity. There were rumors of an airport and other imaginative interpretations (due to its unconventional exterior and geometry, which is not typical for residential architecture),” the Caffets said. Masu.

The composition of the house is the result of an interweaving of perspectives and experiences. Rooms and levels dynamically flow into each other. There are stairs, ramps, and expressively angled rooms, and Bontempi’s built-in structural details made of wood, metal, and stone span the ceiling, lamps, railings, and furniture. Illusion, drama, and distortion create the illusory MC Escher labyrinth, an uninhabitable sculpture that reflects the creative energies of author and client.

“Living in this house as a child was fun, especially from the outside, because from a child’s eyes, this villa has many nooks and crannies and hidden places. “From the beginning, it was conceived as a residential museum for displaying works of art, which did not leave much room for freedom and play,” say Caffet’s daughters.

In the 1970s, the villa became a gathering place for local artists. Gino Cosentino, Alberto Meli, Berrocal, Rinaldo Pigora, Franco Grignani, Dada Maino, de Lima Medeiros and Xiao Qi all exhibited their work there. These encounters gave rise to Caffetto’s new cultural activity, Edizioni d’Arte Caffetto. This is a business dedicated to creating multiple editions of artwork in a variety of metals, including bronze, aluminum, copper, and pewter. Mr. Caffet created these works in his studio on the top floor of his house and displayed them in the glass-roofed gallery next door.

The mansion is now partially open to the public as a venue for cultural events, artist residencies and exhibitions. According to Metilde and Giovanna, “The plan is to expand the cultural offer here, organize guided tours, and create an association that will be able to strengthen the art of our fathers and the collection of artists’ works.” It’s about continuing where we started.” He visited the villa frequently and kept in touch with the academic community so that it could once again become a meeting place for creative people. A place for professionals in the field of architecture and design. To do this, we need to step out of the family sphere and build partnerships with experts in the field and parties interested in investing in this project. ”