There are a lot of beautiful villas in Como city. This villas are always in front of the lake.

VILLA RESTA PALLAVICINO

Marco Gallio, Cardinal Tolomeo's nephew, had this villa built in 1.615. It features a portico on the ground floor, which runs along both façades, two storeys of windows with a centraI balcony and a terminal balustrade adomed with statues overlooking the lake. The interior is decorated with stucco works and frescoes of the 17th century, attributed to the school of Morazzone.

It was built between 1.625 and 1.627 in what was, once, the suburb called "Coloniola" and used to be Marco Gallio's winter residence. It is provided with a triple portico and a fountain in the garden. Frescoes by an unknown artist, in the past mistaken for Morazzone, can be seen here; others, by the Recchi brothers, were unfortunately destroyed in 1.853.

Designed by Pollack, this villa was erected between 1.790 and 1.793. Two storeys high, it takes its nickname - La Rotonda, that is the Round One - from its curvilinear central hall. The central part is characterized by semi-columns, supporting the eaves, above which the actic stands, with its oval windows and pillars; each pillar carries a statue. Today this building is the headquarters of the provincial government.
VILLA OLMO

This is the most famous and sumptuous villa in Como. It was designed by Simone Cantoni, for Innocenzo Odescalchi, and built between 1.782 and 1.797. Named after the huge elm that grew on this spot, it has been frequently modified but still preserves its original neoclassic plan. The interior boasts a vast hall containing eighteenth century frescoes, smaller halls and a miniature theatre with 92 seats and decorated with frescoes by Fontana. After passing from one family to another, namely the Odescalchi, the Raimondi and the Visconti, the villa became property of the Como Municipality. Today it is used for exhibitions, conferences and cultural events. Since 1.982, the "Alessandro Volta" Centre for Scientific Culture has its headquarters in Villa Olmo, where it organizes scientific and technical seminars, stages, meetings and exhibitions at intemational level. This Centre, set up by territorial agencies operating locally and in the whole of Lombardy, works in close cooperation with the Universities of Milan, Pavia, Brescia and with the Milan Polytechnic.

 

VILLA SALAZAR
This villa was designed by the famous architect F. Soave and dates from the end of the 18th century. It is characterized by two wings sticking out from the central body and by a windowed floor.