Templi per lombardi laboriosi. Architetture di Mario Galvagni a Inveruno

From Humboldt Books:

Templi per lombardi laboriosi. Architetture di Mario Galvagni a Inveruno
Temples for Industrious Lombards. Architecture by Mario Galvagni in Inveruno

Suspended shell structures, underground living rooms and luminous domes. On the Lombard plain between the Ticino valley and the industrial outskirts of Milan, ensconced amid fields of crops, lies Inveruno, home to the architecture of Mario Galvagni, designed between the 1960s and 1980s for local industrial families. These villas would host large dinner parties and masked balls, as captured in the photographs unearthed from Gianni Saracchi’s archive. Each house is unique while still sharing something with the others: each is a temple where the industrious Lombard lives with his family and hosts fruitful business meetings. The architecture, photographed by Allegra Martin and Francesco Paleari, serves as the backdrop against which Emmanuela Carbé and Paolo Colagrande’s stories take shape. A critical essay by Francesca Olivieri frames the oeuvre of Mario Galvagni.

Architect, painter, sculptor, and physicist Mario Galvagni was an eclectic figure whose influence is evident throughout this book. Designed with specific references to his works and persona, the typography is informed by a clear minimalistic approach while simultaneously paying homage to his maximalist ethos. Folio is utilised for the photographic galleries and essay, Simoncini Garamond for the short stories, and Century Schoolbook for the front and end matter, as well as the notes. These typefaces alternate throughout the sections, complementing one another to reflect the layered yet understated aesthetic of the mid-to-late 20th century Italian middle-upper class.

The bilingual paperback (Italian and English) has 326 pages and measures 16.5×20.6 cm.
ISBN 9791280336255

It was edited by Elisa Di Nofa and Francesco Paleari, with contributions by Emmanuela Carbé, Paolo Colagrande, Allegra Martin, and Francesca Olivieri. Graphic design by BIFFIPOL, with book design by BIFFIPOL and zoll.