1986
- Two families, Innocente and Marina, Erasmo and Serena, open their hearts and homes to a child in need: this is how the first foster care experience begins. From one encounter to the next, from child to child, over time a network of foster families and friends develops, which will later become the Cometa ODV Association.
1992
- An old farmhouse on the outskirts of Como becomes a shared home and a place of educational life.
Every day, after school, about a hundred children and young people find a team of educators and teachers at Cometa. Homework assistance and recreational and sports activities become an opportunity to live together.
2000-2001
- Cometa ODV Association and Cometa Foundation are established to provide continuity and a future to the ongoing experience; the properties of the entire village are transferred to the Foundation.
2002-2003
- The Amateur Sports Association is born from the meeting of two desires: that of a parent who dreams of a sport for young people capable of forming them as individuals before athletes, and that of a friend determined to take an active part in this story. From the beginning, the proposal is clear: sport can also be an educational tool, capable of supporting personal growth.
- In a moment of serious educational emergency, the organization Cometa Formazione is founded and the first vocational education and training courses are organized to provide a concrete opportunity to young people who had dropped out of school without any job prospects. Based on this initial experience, the school-business educational model takes shape with classroom lessons and internships in local companies, an activity that will lead to the Oliver Twist School.
2005-2008
- With the cooperative Il Manto, socio-educational support for minors and families is strengthened.
- The Contrada degli Artigiani is established, a social cooperative that aims to offer work opportunities to young people with disabilities and vulnerabilities. Here, master craftsmen renew tradition by passing on their experience to young people, training them and introducing them to work. Together they create products of excellence in the field of custom furnishings and interior decoration, intended for the national and international market.
2009
- The Oliver Twist School is inaugurated, an educational offering that combines school, training, and job placement.
2014
- Cometa Formazione is among the founding members of the IATH Foundation, created in response to the emerging need for professional tertiary education at the end of the VET pathway. The objective is to activate a Higher Technical Institute (ITS) dedicated to the tourism sector: the project involves the Municipality of Cernobbio, university institutions, and numerous hospitality and tourism operators (including Villa d’Este Spa, Meta Spa – Sheraton Lake Como, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lariohotels Spa – Hotel Terminus, Villa Flori, Posta, Vista), with the launch of advanced post-diploma training courses in hotel management and catering.
2015 - 2016
- The bar bistro Anagramma opens to the public in the gardens of Villa Bernasconi in Cernobbio, designed to offer employment opportunities to people with disabilities and vulnerabilities.
- Melograno opens, a center for developmental age that offers support and rehabilitation pathways.
2018-2019
- The Oliver Twist School is recognized as a European center of excellence by UNESCO – UNEVOC for Italy – International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education Training – TVET for its training method
- The Artisan Science High School and Cometa Research, a center for analysis and applied research, are established.
- The first store of the for&from project by Inditex in collaboration with Cometa is inaugurated in Como, to offer job placement opportunities to young people with disabilities.
2020-2022
- Cometa is selected among the 5 European centers of excellence by the European Commission for inclusion in vocational training
- Il Pane di Sandro is inaugurated, which aims to provide job placement for young people with disabilities and vulnerabilities.
- A new educational offering is created that includes the Artisan Design Entrepreneurial High School.
2023
- in·store opens in Grandate, an outlet created from the partnership between the Oniverse group and Cometa, where several young women with disabilities work every day.
2024-2025
- The Professional training course for sales assistant dedicated to people with intellectual disabilities is launched.
Today and tomorrow
From one encounter
to the next
- Cometa is a living reality in constant movement: every day we weave stories looking toward a future made of connections, shared challenges, and real possibilities for everyone.
A beginning: the encounter, a place. Now: a place, many encounters.
This is our experience
Thanks to the support of many, we can build day after day a more human reality, one shaped by care and love, where every person is welcomed as a unique and irreplaceable gift.
With your help, all of this is possible: support with a donation those who are guided every day at Cometa.
