Villa Olmo

The Villa, built in the late 1700s on behalf of the wealthy citizen Innocenzo Odescalchi, is in neoclassical style. The architect is Simone Cantoni from Tessin (1736 –1818), who framed the residence with an important Italian-style garden. In 1925, after a series of changes of ownership, it was sold to the Municipality of Como, to preserve its beauty. Inside the building, since its first municipal management as a cultural venue, numerous exhibitions, events and conferences have been hosted, among which is important to mention the Mostra di Scenografia Cinematografica (Exhibition of Cinematographic Scenography), in 1936, where one of the most important and paradigmatic works by the artist Regina was presented. Villa Olmo also hosts the Premio Lario award ceremony, an international award for engraving and drawing, a cultural event that has become increasingly prestigious, given the high qualification of the jurors and the value of the competitors.