Since 1997, the Milanese premises of the Istituto Svizzero have served as a platform for Swiss art and culture in the capital city of the region of Lombardy, the nerve centre of the Italian economy with a particularly dynamic role in the fields of creation and innovation. Located in the proximity of Piazza Cavour, the Istituto Svizzero occupies a historical building of the 1950s that also houses the Swiss Consulate, the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Italy and various associations, constituting an authentic Swiss enclave in the heart of Milan. Its programme includes exhibitions, conferences, concerts and meetings, always with the intent of fostering artistic and scientific exchange between Switzerland and Italy.