When and how to best visit Villa Olmo in Como

November 5, 2019 – Wonderful example of neoclassical in Como, Villa Olmo for centuries it has been able to capture the admiring gaze of many tourists and citizens who visit the buildings or decide to spend a few hours in the calm beauty of its park. To enrich the pleasure of the view the wonderful panorama that opens onto Lake Como, so suggestive as to be chosen for the filming of Adriano Celentano's film Crazy lover. Another curiosity? The villa takes its name from a wonderful centenary Elm that stood out in the garden, which unfortunately no longer exists today.

Villa Olmo and its park

Villa Olmo in Como it was commissioned at the end of the 1700s by the marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi to the architect Simone Cantoni, already known for the great successes of Palazzo Serbelloni and Porta Venezia in Milan. The position on Lake Como and the large garden made it ideal for a summer residence: the same thought that the Raimondi had – who took Villa Olmo from the Odescalchi – who, to fully enjoy their potential, rearranged the entire park.

After about a hundred years the property passed to the Duke Guido Visconti di Modrone, who undertook some renovation and embellishment works, up to 1924, the year in which it was acquired by the municipality of Como. Since that day Villa Olmo in Como hosted numerous events, including the International Exhibition for the centenary of the death of Alessandro Volta, numerous congresses, shows, art exhibitions. In 1970 he also hosted an episode of the famous program Giochi Without Frontiers!

Today Villa Olmo It consists of a central body – where temporary exhibitions can often be visited – the northern side wing, the southern and northern casino, the greenhouses, the tennis complex, the international hostel and the Lido, as well as from the garden.

Visit Villa Olmo: prices and timetables

Currently Villa Olmo and its park can be visit freely and for free, except in the presence of temporary events and exhibitions. The only drawback – which we hope can be resolved soon – is that the Villa complex, the park and the greenhouses are currently interested in a restoration project for the redevelopment: Villa Olmo you can still visit, even if partially. The objective of the works is to build an advanced cultural center that can enhance and put at the center of the scene not only the artistic interest but also Lake Como as a natural heritage.

The timetables of Villa Olmo and the park

If we intend to visit the buildings, we can go to Villa Olmo from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 6pm. Also the Sala del Duca on the first floor can be visited at these times, but with the accompaniment of the cultural operators who are in the Villa. The park of Villa Olmo it is available to all citizens and tourists who want to visit it, but the schedules differ according to the season: in winter – from October to April 4 – it is open from 7 am to 7 pm. The rest of the year follows the same opening, but the closure is postponed to 23.

Villa Olmo: the parking lots

If we intend to arrive by car to Villa Olmo in Como it is important to know that there are gods paid parking lots, in which it is located quite easily. For the most romantic or sporty, the advice is to start from the city center on foot or by bicycle, along the suggestive lakefront.