Favorites

The boldly cantilevered home rises to a prow-like peak, prompting some neighbors to nickname it “the ship.” The 3,875-square-foot house sits on 3.7 newly tamed acres. “When we first saw the place, there were mounds of earth and wild vegetation everywhere,” says Fabian. “We needed a tractor to clear it away. Now we enjoy walking around outside, and our dog, Lina, loves it.” The landscaping, like many of the less technical aspects of the restoration, was done by the couple.

A brutalist masterwork in the north of Italy, designed by architect Carlo Graffi in 1971 for the owner of a concrete company, had been uninhabited for 16 years when Fabian Nagel and Roberto Mazzilli (from left) purchased it in 2019. The couple’s sparing restoration left the home’s exterior virtually unchanged and the interior only modestly updated.

Segmenting the home allows it to expand and contract depending on the number and needs of its occupants, who use it as a vacation residence.

Floor Plan of Galeo Pavilion by Stanaćev Granados