Iconic Locations to Discover during Lake Como Design Festival

Il Chilometro della Conoscenza is a scenic promenade linking three of Como’s historic villas—Villa Olmo, Villa del Grumello, and Villa Sucota—through centuries-old parks, gardens, greenhouses, chapels, and rare botanical specimens. Stretching for about a kilometer along the lake, it offers both a natural oasis and a cultural corridor, inviting visitors to wander slowly between history, architecture, and nature.

During the Lake Como Design Festival 2025, the promenade transforms into an open-air, “diffuse” museum hosting the Contemporary Design Selection curated by Giovanna Massoni. Installations from around the world will be displayed in greenhouses, lemon houses, and other outdoor settings, exploring this year’s theme, Fragments, through three perspectives: fragility, regeneration, and memory. The path thus becomes a living exhibition, where design, nature, and heritage intersect, creating a poetic journey through time, culture, and creativity.

Villa del Grumello, also known as Villa Celesia, is a refined 17th-century residence nestled on the southern shores of Lake Como. Once a noble retreat for Milanese bankers and later home to the Odescalchi, Giovio, and Celesia families, the villa has welcomed illustrious guests such as Alessandro Volta and Ugo Foscolo. Its architecture bears the mark of great masters, from Pellegrino Tibaldi to Simone Cantoni, who shaped its elegant façade and harmonious interiors. Surrounded by centuries-old trees and now part of the “Chilometro della Conoscenza,” a park that links Como’s historic villas, Villa del Grumello has been carefully restored and transformed into a place of culture and dialogue. Within this evocative setting, the Lake Como Design Festival presents Fragments of Memory, a group exhibition that unfolds across its historic rooms, inviting visitors to reflect on design as a vessel of memory and identity.

In the heart of the city of Como, the former church of San Pietro in Atrio once again becomes an exhibition space with “Aldo Rossi. Architecture by Fragments” curated by Chiara Spangaro in collaboration with Aldo Rossi Foundation. The space becomes a welcoming environment open to dialogue – moving away from the formalities of a traditional display and embracing a more intimate setup, welcoming and encouraging visitors to move freely through the space and across different eras, where they can explore and delve deeper into the theme of the fragment in Aldo Rossi’s work.

On the occasion of the Lake Como Design Festival 2025, the non-profit Archivio Design Ico Parisi announces the opening of its new headquarters at Via Diaz 11 in Como and presents an exhibition of Ico Parisi’s large-format paintings from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Part of the series Crolli edificanti–Tavole di provocazione, these works have never before been shown in Como. Visitors will also be able to explore a rich archive of materials, photographs and documents, along with artworks, design pieces, architectural works, and an extensive library.

Embark on a curated architectural journey through the modernist landmarks of Como. The initiative offers guided tours led by local architects and art historians, exploring the style, materials, and historical context of each structure, and highlighting the movement’s role in bridging history and modernity. The program includes visits to Giuseppe Terragni’s masterpiece, Casa del Fascio, renowned for its clarity, geometric precision, and civic vision; the Monumento ai Caduti, a war memorial merging symbolic form with public purpose; Casa Cattaneo, an elegant residential building in Cernobbio that showcases rationalism’s domestic application; and Canottieri Ilario, a lakeside boathouse reflecting the movement’s integration with everyday life. Organized by Wonderlake Como, Rationalist Como invites visitors to discover the beauty and coherence of the city’s 20th-century architectural heritage through an immersive and educational experience, accompanied by local architects and art historians. For information and reservations: experience@wonderlakecomo.com

Lake Como Design Festival
September 14–21, 2025
Como, Italy