Masterpieces by Gio Ponti

© Antoine Baralhe
© Gio Ponti Archives/Salvatore Licitra
Anyone who has ever been to ­Milan knows Gio Ponti. Opposite Milano Centrale, the main railway station, one of his masterpieces soars 127 m into the sky. The Pirelli Tower is still by far the most elegant skyscraper in the city. When the tire manufacturer moved into the office building in 1960, Giovanni Ponti, who went by his nickname Gio, was nearly 70 years old. The architect from Milan was already famous for his beautiful, idiosyncratic homes and marvellous interiors, for his refreshingly simple furniture, and timeless everyday objects that are still being produced.