In Sumirago, a suburb of Varese in Lombardy, where the verdant surrounds sit in the shadow of the famously pastel-tinted Monte Rosa, Rosita Missoni is describing the scene outside her window. “It really is a beautiful day, the sky is a bright blue and the mountain is white,” she says. “It’s why we came here originally, because of this fabulous view – and why my husband insisted on big windows everywhere.”
Situated 25 miles northwest of Milan, the area is the spiritual home of Missoni, the Italian fashion house famous for its joyful zig-zag knits. Rosita established Missoni with her late husband Ottavio in 1953, and it grew into one of Italy’s most recognisable and celebrated exports.
