Milan and its surroundings: 9 places to see during the FAI Spring Days

The Gran Cinema Vittoria is an iconic building in 20th-century Varese and, with its Art Nouveau features, stucco work and crimson armchairs, still tells the story of its past splendour. Closed in July 2006, the building has remained unused as a cinema ever since. On the occasion of the FAI Spring Days, the former Gran Cinema Vittoria will be exceptionally open to the public, allowing people to visit a structure that is currently inaccessible, without the need for a reservation.

Built entirely in Art Nouveau style, the complex consists of race and training tracks, grandstands and stables surrounded by a botanical garden, and is still one of the most prestigious horse racing venues worldwide. In 1999, the “Cavallo di Leonardo” was placed at the entrance, by sculptor Nina Akamu based on Leonardo da Vinci's drawings for the equestrian monument to Francesco Sforza. During the visit, it will be possible to explore, without the need for a booking, the Trot Stand, restored in 2024, the Main Stand, the Weighing Room together with the “Sala della Bilancia” and the new GAMI, the Hippodrome Multimedia Archive Gallery.

Designed by Piero Portaluppi for his sister and still privately owned today, Villa Del Dosso expresses the eclectic taste of its designer in the 1930s, combining an elegant yet sober form with classic and modern elements, integration into the natural landscape, refined interior spaces and great attention to detail, as in the numerous furnishings and decorations designed by the architect and still preserved today, according to the principle of a “total work of art”. On the occasion of the FAI Days, Villa del Dosso is opening its doors to the public on an exceptional basis, offering a rare opportunity to visit a historic residence that is not usually accessible.

The residence, surrounded by a large park with a swimming pool and tennis court, belonged to a well-educated and enlightened family of the Lombard industrial bourgeoisie, hard-working but sensitive to the pleasures of life. In 2001, the family entrusted the Villa to the FAI to turn it into a place to enjoy, thanks to its pleasant garden, numerous events and bistro in the park. The Villa, included in the “Case Museo di Milano” (Milan House Museums) circuit, is normally open to the public, but the FAI weekend offers (upon reservation) new opportunities for exploration, such as the chance to see an immersive video installation created in the villa's original garage designed by Piero Portaluppi.

This building, a rationalist masterpiece little known to the public and one of the most significant examples of 20th-century religious architecture in Cremona, stands out for its balanced combination of monumentality and simplicity, and for its characteristic use of exposed brickwork in keeping with local building traditions. During the visit, visitors will be able to appreciate the decorative work of Dante Ruffini and visit areas of the complex that are not normally accessible.

Mortara is home to several rationalist-style buildings constructed between 1925 and 1945 which, although modified internally, still retain their original external configuration. Among the most significant, in addition to the Nuovo Peso Pubblico (1936/37), the Casa del Fascio (1938) and the Casa della Madre e del Fanciullo (1932) designed by L. Baldessari, which now houses the municipal library, there is the Teresio Olivelli school (1941), designed by engineer A. Sandri, the only building that retains its original function as a school.

RAI is opening the doors (by appointment) of the historic Palazzo della Radio on Corso Sempione, which is not normally accessible to the public. The building was designed in 1939 in a rationalist style to become the new headquarters of EIAR (Ente Italiano Audizioni Radiofoniche) and was inaugurated after the war. With its three clearly distinguishable bodies dedicated to offices, broadcasting and theatres, it is an austere “treasure chest” that encapsulates the history of Italian television and customs.

Originally the headquarters of the Marucelli & Co. printing and publishing company, owned by the Tadini family, this space witnessed the launch of important Italian economic newspapers. After Emilio Tadini's death in 2002, the house was transformed into a lively cultural centre: today, the Spazio Tadini House Museum is perhaps the only inhabited house museum in Milan, a dynamic venue for exhibitions, concerts, shows and educational activities.

The curved glass tower rises imposingly in the heart of the CityLife District, alongside the Generali Tower designed by Zaha Hadid and the Allianz Tower designed by Arata Isozaki. The Tower, home to the Milan offices of the international network PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), was designed with cutting-edge solutions in the field of workplace design, combining space efficiency with a focus on environmental sustainability and employee well-being. During the FAI Days it is possible, upon reservation, to go up to the 28th and last habitable floor for an extraordinary view that encompasses most of the city and stretches from the Alps to the Pre-Alps.