The 5-day meeting will take place in Villa Olmo, a historic building located directly on the shores of Lake Como, built in the neoclassic style by Marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi. The building of the villa started in 1782 and ended in 1797. In 1924, the Villa passed from the Visconti di Modrone to the city of Como. One hundred years after the death of Alessandro Volta, in 1927, the villa was selected for hosting an International Exhibition dedicated to the great scientist; since that date, many more exhibitions were hosted by the villa, as well as international conventions, meetings and symposia .
Since 1982, Villa Olmo has been the site of the “Alessandro Volta” Centre for Scientific Culture.

 

The meeting will focus on researches dealing with natural events and rapid geological changes that affected some selected areas of the World, with emphasis on the results of the previous Dark Nature meetings, and on case histories from Italy. Contributions are welcome in a wide range of subjects, related both to the investigation of such changes, and to the individuation of major socio-cultural transitions which were caused by the natural events.
The ways in which mass media deal with the natural events will be also considered, since media are able to play a key role in determining the people’s perception of natural hazards, and therefore in influencing authorities in charge of environmental decisions and policies.
In consideration of the relevance of the event, national and local journalists will be invited to actively participate in the work sessions, with the purpose of disseminating information aimed at increasing awareness of policy makers, practitioners, and the interested lay public

The main topics which will be presented and discussed at the Como 2005 event include:

- the meaning of sustainability in areas subject to rapid natural changes;

- critical natural processes / events and land-use planning;

- refining the record of Holocene geological events and assessing their impact to past societies;

- the new data collected during recent studies of the great lacustrine basins of Lombardy (Lario and Sebino);

- the prevention and mitigation of seismic and volcanic risk in Italy.