When discussing Italian architect Giovanni Michelucci, it is difficult to decide which is the more impressive achievement: his more than half-century track record of notable projects, which includes designing and restoring some of Tuscany’s most famous landmarks, or his nearly century-long life. While he is often remembered for passing away just two days before his centennial birthday, in the same breath he is memorialized for his exceptional contributions to Tuscan architecture, including Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Train Station, Palazzo delle Poste and restored rooms inside the legendary Uffizi Gallery.
Michelucci’s practice began in childhood, at his family’s artistic metal workshop. There, he rubbed elbows with many passing artists and architects before pursuing design academically at Florence’s Istituto Superiore di Architettura. Michelucci graduated in 1911 and embarked on a long teaching career. By the early 1920s, he was instructing at the Istituto d’Arte of Rome and later at the Istituto Superiore di Architettura, from 1928 until 1936. He served as dean of the school’s architectural faculty twice during the 1940s and founded the magazine La Nuova Città between the two appointments. He left Florence in 1948 to become a professor at the School of Engineering in Bologna, where he remained until his retirement.
Other significant architectural projects dot Michelucci ‘s career, like the Santa Maria Novella church and church of St. John the Baptist. Often working in collaboration with the Grouppo Tuscano, a collective of young architects, Michelucci beat out more than 100 other bidders on multiple contracts to bring his modernist, rationalist approach to Italy’s architectural landscape.
In his hometown of Pistoia, as well as Fiesole, Michelucci formed the Fondazione Giovanni Michelucci, which undertook social projects targeted at prisons, hospitals and asylums within the cities. He dedicated the rest of his life toward using architecture to address social challenges — a cause the foundation continues to support today.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Giovanni Michelucci lighting, case pieces and tables.
Torbecchia walnut dining set by Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova 1960s
By Poltronova, Giovanni Michelucci
Located in Padova, IT
The Torbecchia series was designed by Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova and dates to approximately 1964. The name Torbecchia refers to the locality of Torbecchia, near Pistoia, whi...
Straw, Walnut
Giovanni Michelucci Dining Room Set with Table Bench and Chairs by Poltronova
By Poltronova, Giovanni Michelucci
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Torbecchia dining room set is composed of four chairs, one table, and one bench. The table and the bench were made in walnut wood, the chairs have a structure in walnut wood and wove...
Straw, Walnut
$1,716
H 15.75 in W 47.25 in D 15.75 in
Ettore Sottsass Rectangular Wooden Coffee Table by Poltronova 1960s Italy
By Poltronova, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Cascina, Pisa
A rectangular low coffee table entirely made in wood, designed by Ettore Sottsass for Poltronova, Agliana 1960s. The son of an architect, Ettore Sottsass Jr. (1917-2007) was born i...
Wood
$43,494 / set
H 30.71 in W 18.5 in D 22.05 in
Afra & Tobia Scarpa Africa Dining Room Set for Maxalto, 4 Chairs and Table, 1976
By Maxalto, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Vicenza, IT
A dining set composed of four “Africa” dining chairs and an “Artona” table, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto in 1975. Made of walnut, burl...
Brass
$4,818 / set
H 28.15 in Dm 51.19 in
Dining Room Set with Table and Four Chairs by Giotto Stoppino, Italy 1970s
By Giotto Stoppino
Located in Hellouw, NL
Very nice dining room set by Giotto Stoppino from the 1970s in Italy. This set consists of a dining table and four matching dining room chairs. The table has a tubular, chrome-plated...
Metal, Chrome
$10,301 / set
H 29.14 in W 24.02 in D 19.3 in
Extendable Round Dining Room Set by Rainer Daumiller Brutalist Table + 5 Chairs
By Rainer Daumiller
Located in Copenhagen, DK
German architect turned designer, Rainer Daumiller, popularized these playful pine dining sets through the Danish brand, Hirtshals Savvaerk, in the 1960s and ‘70s. Designed to be fun...
Pine
$5,387 / set
H 31.89 in W 18.9 in D 19.69 in
Charles Ray Eames Herman Miller Dining Room Set 4 La Fonda Chairs & Dining Table
By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
A rare set of four 1960s Charles & Ray Eames “La Fonda” DSL dining chairs for Herman Miller with fibreglass shells, original red naugahyde with black piping on a four column pede...
Metal, Aluminum
$5,450
H 27.17 in W 72.25 in D 31.5 in
Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova 'Torbecchia' Dining Table in Walnut
By Poltronova, Giovanni Michelucci
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova, 'Torbecchia' dining table, walnut, Italy, 1964 A streamlined table with architectural flair designed by Giovanni Michelucci (1891-1990) for Poltr...
Walnut
$4,006
H 16.54 in W 57.09 in D 25.6 in
Walnut coffee table with compartment by Giovanni Michelucci, 1970s
By Giovanni Michelucci
Located in Bastia Umbra, IT
Walnut coffee table with compartment by Giovanni Michelucci, 1970s, Made in Italy. Walnut coffee table with compartment by Giovanni Michelucci, 1970s. It was designed in wood and ven...
Wood, Walnut
$7,497 / set
H 28.75 in Dm 41.74 in
Roundette Teak Extendable Dining Set by Hans Olsen for Frem Røjle, Denmark 1960s
By Hans Olsen, Frem Røjle
Located in Radomsko, Województwo łódzkie
This iconic set is a masterpiece of space-saving design and Danish craftsmanship. Known as the Roundette dining suite, it was designed by Hans Olsen for Frem Røjle in Denmark. It is ...
Faux Leather, Teak
$37,500 / set
H 29.93 in W 17.72 in D 20.08 in
Guglielmo Pecorini Dining Room Set with Chairs and Table in Wood
By Guglielmo Pecorini
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Guglielmo Pecorini, dining room set, chestnut, pine, Italy, 1950s Striking dining set by Italian designer Guglielmo Pecorini, consisting of a freeform table and five sculptural chai...
Pine, Chestnut
$11,000 / set
H 28.35 in W 51.19 in D 51.19 in
1970s French Dining Room Set with Round Table and Chairs in Solid Elm
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Dining room set with round table and four matching chairs, solid elm, leather, France, 1970s This French dining set, constructed entirely from solid elm, exemplifies a 1970s blend ...
Elm
Vintage Dining Set by Depuydt, Belgium, 1960s
By De Puydt
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Sturdy and handcrafted dining chairs with matching table produced by Depuydt Kunstmeubelen in Belgium. The entire set is made out of solid oak. It's rare to have the chairs and...
Oak
Lovely Dining Set, Four Chairs and a Dining Room Table
Located in New York, NY
This set includes a dining room table that includes an attachment. The table is approximately 53 inches long, but the extension adds 16 inches, making it nearly 70 inches in length. ...
Wood
Sold
H 26.78 in W 72.45 in D 31.5 in
Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova ´Torbecchia´ Dining Room Set in Walnut
By Poltronova, Giovanni Michelucci
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Giovanni Michelucci for Poltronova, ´Torbecchia´ dining room set; table, bench and four chairs, walnut, cane, Italy, circa 1964. This dining room set contains one table, a bench a...
Cane, Walnut
Sold
H 26.78 in W 72.45 in D 31.5 in
Giovanni Michelucci Dining Room Set with Table Bench and Chairs by Poltronova
By Poltronova, Giovanni Michelucci
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Torbecchia dining room set composed of four chairs, one table, and one bench. The table and the bench were made in walnut wood, the chairs have a structure in walnut wood and woven s...
Straw, Walnut
Sold
H 29.53 in W 20.48 in D 16.93 in
Giovanni Michelucci Torbecchia Dining Room Set in Wood and Straw by Poltronova
By Giovanni Michelucci, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Torbecchia dining room set composed by six dining chairs with structure in walnut wood and seats in hand-woven straw and a dining table in walnut wood. Every pieces of this set cam...
Straw, Walnut