The Villa
Villa Cerruti was built in the 1960s. The initial design by the architect Cataldo D’Imperio, which remains largely unchanged, was for a four-storey building surrounded by extensive grounds. The observatory tower, its most distinctive architectural feature, may have been inspired by the Metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico or memories of the towers of Porta Palatina in Turin.
Located on a steep slope, which had a marked influence on its structure, the villa was intended as a home for Cerruti’s elderly parents Giuseppe (Genoa, 1890 – Turin, 1972) and Ines Castagneto (Genoa, 1892 – Turin, 1977), and therefore built in the Provençal style to recall the atmosphere of their hometown Genoa. They spent very little time there, however, and the villa, probably completed in 1967, soon became a place for weekends and holidays, never really inhabited by Cerruti or any other member of the family.
It was while the villa was under construction that Cerruti developed an interest in collecting works of art. It all started in 1969, when he bought a small watercolour on paper by Kandinsky. The collection began to grow and the uninhabited villa presented itself as the best place to house it.
In order to make the premises a more suitable setting for the precious masterpieces accumulated over the years, a series of renovations were carried out, including the stone veranda that now provides an entry hall to the rooms. The others, of a primarily decorative nature, involved refurbishment of the interior to designs by the antique dealer Giulio Ometto. The original Provençal style thus gave way to an 18th-century setting more in line with the splendour of the collection being formed and the use of the building. Ometto was a former pupil of Pietro Accorsi (Turin, 1891–1982), a renowned antique dealer responsible over the years for transforming the homes of Turin’s wealthy upper classes, from whom Cerruti also purchased objects and furnishings. The refurbishment thus reflects the tastes of Accorsi and the villa’s original décor survives only in the few areas that remained untouched.
The most recent renovation, undertaken by Baietto Battiato Bianco and Con3Studio of Turin, serves to make the villa accessible to the general public. Certain additions adopt a contemporary style in a reinterpretation of the existing structures and also encompass projects for the external areas, specifically an expansion of the tower to house an elevator and the renovation of the basement.
