Como

Silk Museum

Looms, dyes and prints of Como silk, from the nineteenth century to today.

Today
Visit duration: 1 h – 1 h 30
Booking: Not required
Area: First Basin

Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Why go

The Silk Museum shows how silk was worked in Como, from rearing the silkworm to the printed fabric.

It opened on 4 October 1990 on the basement floor of the Istituto di Setificio “Paolo Carcano”, in Via Castelnuovo. The machines on display are originals dating from between 1860 and 1950: they were donated to the museum, mostly by Como silk mills that had closed, and they still work, but are kept still for safety. The route, through ten rooms, follows the stages of the work: rearing the silkworms, reeling and throwing the thread, preparation and weaving, by hand and by machine, a chemistry laboratory rebuilt with period furniture and instruments, then dyeing, printing and finishing.

The original machines of Como silk, from spinning to printing.
It is indoors, for a wet day.

Highlights

The Jacquard looms
The dyeing room
The design archive

Getting there

Half an hour on foot from Como San Giovanni; city bus.

Bobbins wound with yellow, blue, green and orange thread on the spindles of one of the museum's wooden machines.

Accessibility

The museum is one floor below street level, reached by a 25-metre ramp. Disabled visitors can drive up to the entrance.
The ten rooms are spacious, the last ones reached by a double ramp, and the adapted toilet is in the entrance hall.

Visiting

Opening

What else is open now

Tuesday 14:00 to 18:00; Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00; closed on Mondays

Tickets

Paid admission, online or at the desk; reduced for students and under-18s, over-65s, Como residents and families.

Read on

Free under 3, for disabled visitors with one companion and for members of the museum's association and of ICOM. Groups of 10 or more visit with a guide, included in the ticket

Paid admission, online or at the desk; reduced for students and under-18s, over-65s, Como residents and families; free under 3, for disabled visitors with one companion and for members of the museum's association and of ICOM. Groups of 10 or more visit with a guide, included in the ticket

Directions On the map Official source

DestinationsComoThe city of silk and rationalist architecture, with the lake reaching right into the centre.