In the documents of the fifteenth century the property is mentioned with the name of Castellazzo and consists of a rustic on two floors, surrounded by a vineyard, a lawn and a rich orchard with walnuts, chestnuts and other plants; it is then called Grumello. Rebuilt in the second half of the 16th century by the Milanese banker Tommaso d'Adda, it became one of the first suburban residences of the Como aristocracy on the banks of the Lario, loved for its enchanting view and its privileged position: immersed in the green, but at the same time close to the urban center. Owned, among others, by the Odescalchi family, then by the Giovio family and, from the second half of the 19th century, by the Celesia family, the Villa underwent several restorations and enlargements during the centuries: in the 17th century by the architect and artist Tibaldo Pellegrini from Cernobbio, at the end of the 18th century with the arrangement of the façade made by the architect Simone Cantoni, to whom is also due the realization of the two lateral wings of the Villa. In those same years are probably realized the porter's lodge and the stables. In 1870 the restoration is made by the architect Nessi: a restructuring that, among the various interventions, raises the central body of the Villa of a floor. In the same period, in the south-west part of the park, a small greenhouse overlooking a spring pond was built. Among the illustrious guests of Villa del Grumello, we must remember Vincenzo Monti, Alessandro Volta and above all Ugo Foscolo, whose frequent visits to the Giovio family are testified by a bust placed in the garden. In 1954 the Countess Giulia Celesia Cays of Caselette donated the Villa - with its park and the annexed structures - to the Sant'Anna Hospital of Como, leaving the works of art and the furniture in it to the Civic Museum of Como. The Villa became an old people's home, then, since 1970 and until 2000 it hosted the style office of the Ratti silk factories. In 2006, after a few years of abandonment, at the instigation of the Chamber of Commerce of Como, the Associazione Villa del Grumello was founded, which began the restoration of the Villa, in order to give it a new place in the cultural life of the city, as a venue for cultural, business, scientific and training initiatives. In the following years, as part of a broader project of enhancement of the area, the Association started the recovery of the other structures of the compendium and the redevelopment of the park.
