Villa Olmo

An undocumented tradition has it that the Roman poet Caninius Rufus, a close friend of Pliny the Younger, owned a villa on the Borgovico side of Como, whose gardens were famous for their elms. Two Como historians recorded – Rezzonico in the 18th century and Bertolotti in the 19th – that two enormous ancient elms of different species actually existed here. In the mid-17th century, Marco Plinio Ode-scalchi purchased the remains of the medieval monastery that had stood on the site, in order to build a summer residence. In 1780, one of his descendents, Innocenzo Odescalchi, commissioned the architect Simone Cantoni to design an even grander residence, whose elegant Neoclassical design still dominates the lake shore.
After passing to the Marquises Raimondi in the 19th century, Villa ''Olmo'' enjoyed a new lease on life, along with the upper garden which assumed an informal layout.

After 1883 the last private owners, the Dukes Visconti of Modrone, decided to make many changes to the villa, court, stables (the work of the architect E. Alemagna) and garden. In 1925, Villa ''Olmo'' was acquired by the Como City Council, which converted it into a prestigious venue for exhibitions and meetings. Over the centuries famous personalities have stayed here, from Napoleon I to Foscolo, from Radetzky to Garibaldi.

The present formal garden, between the building and the lake, was laid out recently, although its geometric rigour and the use of box hedges are reminiscent of the classical Italian garden.
By contrast, the section at the back of the house retains its landscaped style, which was introduced by Raimondi and designed by Luigi Sada in 1829.