Como silk

Como has been weaving and printing silk for over two centuries, and the supply chain is still alive: spinning, dyeing, printing, making up. The silk museum explains the process with original machinery; the weavers' showrooms sell directly to the public.

1. 01The silk museum is at Via Castelnuovo 9, in the basement of the historic silk-weaving school, a quarter of an hour on foot from the walls: ten rooms, from the silkworm to the finished dress.
2. 02At Villa Sucota, on the road to Cernobbio, the Fondazione Antonio Ratti keeps over 3,300 textile fragments from the third to the twentieth century and around 3,000 sample books. The collection can be visited by appointment; groups of at least ten can request a guided tour. Check access arrangements for the Foundation and the park before visiting.
3. 03Outside the city the same story goes on: at Cernobbio, Villa Bernasconi, a silk manufacturer's Art Nouveau villa decorated with silkworms and mulberries; at Abbadia Lariana, the Civico Museo Setificio Monti, where thread was twisted on the 1818 throwing machine.

WhereComo · Cernobbio · Abbadia Lariana