Brion tomb, Tomb in San Vito d'Altivole, Italy

The Brion tomb is a burial monument in Altivole, northeastern Italy, that spreads across an expansive area with concrete walls, passageways, and a chapel. Water flows through channels and pools around the central burial chamber, connecting different sections of the enclosure.

Giuseppe Brion, founder of Brionvega, died suddenly and in 1969 his widow Onorina Tomasin-Brion commissioned Carlo Scarpa; the family first bought 68 m² beside the Altivole cemetery, later enlarged to about 2,400 m². Work began in 1970 and ran eight years, with Scarpa revising the design and drawing almost two thousand sketches. He died in Japan in 1978 before completion, and his son Tobia had him buried inside the memorial. A conservation restoration finished in 2021; in 2022 Ennio and Donatella Brion donated the site to FAI.

Scarpa accepted the commission, it is said, only after Rina Brion promised never to remarry; the two interlocking rings of the propylaea, one clad in blue mosaic and one in pink, stand for that conjugal love. The site is a private family burial ground, yet it was conceived as a place of meditation open to all, and Carlo Scarpa lies buried in a discreet spot where his creation meets the old parish cemetery.

The site lies away from major roads in a rural area, so arriving by car or bicycle is advisable. The interior paths include steps and narrow passageways, which should be considered if mobility is limited.

Scarpa died in Japan in 1978 after falling from a staircase, before the complex was finished. It was his son Tobia who wanted his father buried inside the memorial, at a discreet point where the monument meets the old village cemetery, beside his wife Nini Lazzari.