▲ Caffetto別墅位于意大利倫巴第大區(qū)布雷西亞省的卡爾奇納托小鎮(zhèn),建筑順應(yīng)地形的自然坡度而建,是20世紀(jì)70年代現(xiàn)代主義與粗野主義建筑傾向的典型代表。
Located in the Brescian town of Calcinato, and built to adapt to the natural slope of the terrain, Villa Caffetto is emblematic of the modernist and brutalist tendencies that emerged during the 1970s
(Image credit: Adam Štěch)
Caffetto別墅的粗獷之美:一座具有埃舍爾風(fēng)格的意大利現(xiàn)代主義瑰寶
The brutal harmony of Villa Caffetto: an Escheresque Italian modernist gem
The Escheresque Italian Villa Caffetto designed by Fausto Bontempi for sculptor Claudio Caffetto
It is difficult to take Villa Caffetto in at a single glance. Built for artist Claudio Caffetto (1942-2022), this extraordinary house near Brescia in the Lombardy region of Italy reads like a manifesto for sculptural architecture. With its rich and layered architecture, a composition of geometric shapes and oblique forms in concrete, glass and metal as visually complex and intricate as Giovanni Battista Piranesi's famous etchings of imaginary 18th-century staircases, represents an Italian movement of late modernist and brutalist tendencies which emerged in the 1970s, influenced by the then-popular postmodern and High-Tech trends.
This specific chapter of 20th-century architecture led to the creation of some of the most experimental and bold examples of modern domestic architecture, despite falling into oblivion over time. Villa Caffetto puts this era back into the spotlight.
▲ 頂層畫(huà)廊展示了卡費(fèi)托創(chuàng)作的半身像及其他雕塑作品
Busts and other sculptures by Caffetto displayed in the top-floor gallery
(Image credit: Adam Štěch)
Bontempi主要受到Scarpa對(duì)細(xì)節(jié)與材料精雕細(xì)琢的影響,但他以近乎解構(gòu)主義的方式挑戰(zhàn)了當(dāng)時(shí)的粗野主義風(fēng)格,創(chuàng)造出狂放不羈且難以歸類的建筑作品。他最著名的作品包括1968年在薩洛建造的Cooperativa La Valle住宅綜合體,以及1978年至1985年間在加爾達(dá)湖蒙尼加鎮(zhèn)建造的公墓。
Bontempi的項(xiàng)目不僅向Scarpa的設(shè)計(jì)方法致敬,同時(shí)也呼應(yīng)了他同時(shí)代建筑師的作品,例如Umberto Riva, Leonardo Ricci, Giuseppe Pergugini 以及Carlo Graffi。這些建筑師皆將粗野主義的美學(xué)融入了復(fù)雜的雕塑形式之中。
Take our tour of Villa Caffetto
The house was designed by little-known architect Fausto Bontempi (b.1935), who was highly influenced by his teacher, famous Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa. The latter’s architecture is known for its formal complexity and an obsession with geometry. Bontempi graduated in 1962 and became a consultant for the Lombardy region's Department of Urban Planning, working on Regulatory Plans for the municipalities of Lake Garda between 1970 and 1975. At the same time, he built a few experimental houses and other projects around the lake.
Inspired mostly by Scarpa’s sophisticated attention to detail and material, Bontempi challenged the era’s brutalism with an almost deconstructivist take, creating wild compositions that defy categorisation. His most notable works include the residential complex Cooperativa La Valle in Salò, built in 1968, and the cemetery of Moniga del Garda, constructed between 1978 and 1985. His projects nod not only to Scarpa’s approach but also to the output of his contemporaries, such as Umberto Riva, Leonardo Ricci, Giuseppe Pergugini and Carlo Graffi, who all applied a brutalist aesthetic to complex sculptural forms.
▲ 主起居室內(nèi)擺放著Claudio Caffetto為這座新建成的住宅購(gòu)買的木質(zhì)扶手椅
The main living room with wooden armchairs purchased by Claudio Caffetto for the newly completed house
(Image credit: Adam Štěch)
The medium of sculpture draws a parallel between Bontempi's career and that of one of his most enlightened clients, young sculptor Claudio Caffetto whom he met while working for the Lombardy Region. 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. That same year, Bontempi was commissioned to design a home for Caffetto; the latter’s namesake villa was built between 1973 and 1974.
▲ 這座住宅由多個(gè)層次和具有角度的房間構(gòu)成,房間之間通過(guò)走廊、樓梯和坡道交織連接
The house is composed of various levels and angled rooms interwoven with corridors, stairs and ramps
(Image credit: Adam Štěch)
‘Our father lost his mother at a young age. At just 14, he found his first job as a draughtsman in the studio of architect Bruno Fedrigolli to contribute to the family's finances. There, he developed a passion for architecture and met numerous representatives of the Brescian art scene. He attended evening drawing and sculpture courses at the Brescian Artists' Association,’ say Metilde and Giovanna Caffetto, daughters of Claudio and current owners of Villa Caffetto. The artist eventually enrolled at the Art School in Parma. In the meantime, his work as a draughtsman brought him into contact with local pewter craftspeople for whom he designed objects such as jugs and plates. He was just 19 years old when he opened Metalpilter in Brescia, a small pewter craft workshop which later became his main business.
In 1963, Caffeto married Franca Manera. Together they embarked on building their home and artist studio. ‘Our father and Bontempi conceived a house as a universe composed of elements charged with the energy of form, matter and light in a dynamic and harmonious relationship with each other. During the construction, the site was always crowded with curious people on Sundays. [Because of its unconventional looks and geometries, which were not typical for residential architecture] there were rumours that it was an airport and other imaginative interpretations,’ the Caffettos recount.
▲ 頂層工作室陳設(shè)著Marcel Breuer的“B33”椅子。
The top-floor studio furnished with Marcel Breuer’s ‘B33’ chairs
(Image credit: Adam Štěch)
The composition of the house is the result of interweaving viewpoints and experiences; rooms and levels dynamically flow into each other. There are stairs, ramps and expressively angled rooms, equipped with Bontempi's built-in structural details made of wood, metal and stone, spanning ceilings, lamps, handrails and furniture. Illusion, drama and distortion create an inhabitable sculpture, an illusory M.C. Escher's labyrinth that reflects the creative energy of both its author and his client.
‘Living in the house as a child, especially on the outside, was fun because seen through the eyes of a child, the villa has many nooks, crannies and hiding places. But since it was conceived from the beginning as a house museum for the exhibition of works of art, it did not leave much room for freedom and play,’ say Caffetto’s daughters.
▲ 一座螺旋樓梯從起居室通往雕塑展廊
A spiral staircase leads from the living room to the sculpture gallery
(Image credit: Adam Štěch)
In the 1970s, the villa became a place where local artists met. Gino Cosentino, Alberto Meli, Berocal, Rinaldo Pigola, Franco Grignani, Dada Maino, Delima Medeiros and Hsiao Chi, all exhibited works there. These encounters gave rise to Caffetto’s new cultural activity - Edizioni d'Arte Caffetto, a business dedicated to the production of multiple editions of artworks in different metals, including bronze, aluminium, copper and pewter. Caffetto created these in the house’s top-floor studio and exhibited them in the glass-roofed gallery next to it.
(Image credit: Adam Štěch)
這座住宅目前部分空間對(duì)公眾開(kāi)放,作為文化活動(dòng)、藝術(shù)家駐地和展覽的場(chǎng)地。據(jù)Metilde和Giovanna介紹:“我們的計(jì)劃是延續(xù)已經(jīng)開(kāi)啟的道路,拓展這里的文化活動(dòng),組織導(dǎo)覽,推廣我們父親的藝術(shù)作品及曾在別墅創(chuàng)作的藝術(shù)家的作品收藏,并與學(xué)術(shù)界保持聯(lián)系,使這座住宅再次成為創(chuàng)意人士的聚會(huì)場(chǎng)所,這里也是一個(gè)供建筑與設(shè)計(jì)領(lǐng)域?qū)<医涣鞯牡胤?。為?shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo),我們需要走出家族的范疇,與相關(guān)領(lǐng)域的專業(yè)人士及有意投資此項(xiàng)目的各方建立合作?!?br />
The house is currently partly open to the public as a venue for cultural events, artist residencies, and exhibitions. According to Metilde and Giovanna: ‘The plan is to continue on the path we have embarked on, by setting up an association that can expand the cultural offerings here, organise guided tours, enhance our father's art and the collection of works by the artists who frequented the villa, and keep in contact with the academic world so that the house can once again become a meeting place for creatives; a place for experts in the field of architecture and design. To do this, it will be necessary to step out of the family sphere and create a partnership with professionals in the sector and parties interested in investing in this project.’