Inside Italian Swimmer Simone Barlaam’s Home on the Outskirts of Milan

On the right bank of the Naviglio Grande, a canal that runs through Italy’s Lombardy region some 20 miles from Milan, the landscape alternates between industrial warehouses and cultivated fields. Along the historic waterway system which dates from the 12th century, there are a series of patrician residences, pleasure villas, and elegant rural farmhouses that still stand, along with what remains of their parks and gardens, side-by-side with more recent houses.

The entrance gate of Villa Clari-Monzini, the oldest and largest of the villas on the right bank of the Naviglio canal, to which it was once connected via a tree-lined avenue that continued on the opposite side of the waterway to the nearby Piazza del Teatro.

Arriving in Cassinetta di Lugagnano after traveling along the Naviglio bike path, one finds one of the richest towns in the region in terms of its architectural legacy. When the Barlaam family made that same journey, they couldn’t help but notice the Villa Clari-Monzini: “It was in very bad condition, but it was still beautiful and shortly thereafter it was renovated and divided into apartments. We decided to move there, to the main floor of the villa, far from the stress and hassles of the big city,” says Riccardo, Simone’s father. The younger Barlaam is a Paralympic swimming champion who won four gold medals between the recent games in Tokyo and Paris.

Cosmos coffee table by Jeffrey Bernett (B&B Italia). Logo lamp, a Chinese checkers board by Joe, and Lawrence ottoman (all Armani/Casa).

Simone Barlaam leans against a handcrafted crystal table in the living room of his home. Clothes by Armani.

“I grew up here, among the frescoed walls and coffered ceilings of the large ballroom that has become our living room, and ever since I was a child I’ve always felt this house was welcoming. When we lived in Milan I might have dared to scribble on the walls—I was a creative kid—but here I was never tempted to do so,” says Simone, who returns here on weekends to recharge.

In the living room, LC4 chaise longue by Le Corbusier (Cassina), handcrafted crystal table, Plywood chairs by Charles and Ray Eames (Vitra). Taraxacum 88 chandelier by Achille Castiglioni (Flos).

Late at night, Barlaam invents his alternative heroes inspired by the art he is surrounded by and the Italian comic books by his side during childhood, from Diabolik to Zerocalcare. “When the world shuts down, I find some quiet time to draw. It’s something I do for myself, which makes me feel similar to how I do when I’m in the water when I’m training. It’s an isolation that makes me focus on my body, on lightness, on harmony; I always feel a bit awkward on dry land but in the water I become agile and graceful,” Barlaam says.

Dozens and dozens of sheets of paper can be found in the family’s home, essential material for this self-taught drawing talent. Illustrations from the Italian children’s story “Road to Cortina” can also be found in the flat. “In high school I reproduced one of the frescoes in the villa. I recreated it in color, although I usually prefer to work in black and white.” It’s part of his effort to engage an ever-growing audience, and to recount his journey to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Snow, the family’s Samoyed. The kitchen is by Binova, with Corian countertop. Venetian terrazzo floor.

In one of the rooms, a reclaimed wood door. Rondò armchair (Armani/Casa). Beside the fireplace, double Parentesi lamp by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù (Flos).

Outside, evening descends over the Lombardy countryside and the beautiful back garden. The floors inside of the 17th-century villa are now a light, uniform Venetian terrazzo that highlights the thresholds of doors with a slightly darker hue. (The villa once operated as a spinning mill which irreparably damaged its original floors.) The doors themselves were recovered from the middle of fields where they had been discarded, covered with several layers of varnish. They have now been cleaned and left unfinished, beyond a light wax treatment, giving them their original appearance.