Silk Museum of Como: the history of the local textile production

The Educational Silk Museum, located in Como, Via Castelnuovo 9, collects, preserves and exhibits the testimony of tradition about textile production machines of Como, such as objects, documents, samples and tools from the textile processes that qualify Como as the "Silk City". The technical and artistic heritage of the museum is organized in an educational area accessible to everyone, situated in the same building that houses the ITIS Setificio "Paolo Carcano". The museum was born in 1985 on the initiative of associations Classe '27 and Ex-Allievi del Setificio, and opened to the public in 1990.

The exhibition area of the Silk Museum of Como occupies about 1000 square meters and the assets exposed allows us to reconstruct the story from the beginning of silk. The exhibition halls, as well as the exhibits inside them, offer visitors the opportunity to know, as fully as possible, not only the manufacturing process but also the individual work phases that characterize it.

In some cases, the structural dimensions of the space allowed the exposure of completely quite bulky machinery or of a part of the same, however, and are significant for didactic purposes. All the machines on display in the museum come from donations and their eventual restoration was achieved by preventing the restoration of the original movement mechanisms. The Silk Museum also houses archives and depots where it keeps a substantial asset essential to integrate and deepen the permanent exhibition.

The Educational Silk Museum of Como also promotes educational activities for schools, universities and families; it is committed to the conservation, restoration and cataloging of the museum, organizes exhibitions and themed competitions, in addiction to conferences and events.

You can visit the Silk Museum from Tuesday to Friday, 9AM to 12AM and 3PM to 6PM. The entrance fee is € 10.00 with rebates and discounts for groups, schools, students, under 18, over 65 and families. Free admission for children under three years old and the disabled with assistance. Guided tours are available outside of normal opening hours of the museum.

Information and reservations are available on the website www.museosetacomo.com