Museo Didattico della Seta di Como (Educational Silk Museum of Como), Como

The Educational Silk Museum of Como is a captivating destination for visitors curious about the vibrant legacy of silk craftsmanship. Opened in 1990 by local associations Classe ’27 and ex‑students of the Setificio Paolo Carcano, the museum occupies roughly 900–1,000 square meters within the same building as the Paolo Carcano Silk Factory Technical Institute. Since its inception, it has become a rich archive of Como’s industrial past.

The museum offers a rare and unparalleled educational experience: it is one of the few places globally where one can trace the entire silk‑making process, from silkworm cultivation through twisting, dyeing, printing by hand, weaving, and even early fashion collections with printed labels and luxurious textiles. Many of the original machines on display have been meticulously restored and remain in working order, offering a tangible sense of how the silk industry truly operated in its heyday.

Inside, the exhibition is arranged across a dozen rooms, each dedicated to a specific phase of production. Visitors will encounter antique looms, twisting machines, printing presses, and samples of raw and finished silk. Information panels in Italian and English accompany the artifacts, and there are even multisensory routes-including tactile, olfactory, digital, and sign‑language options-to make the museum accessible to all. An audio guide and a video about the silk process further enrich the visit.

A visit here offers more than technical insight: it connects you to Como’s broader textile tradition. Thanks to the hydraulic power once generated by the Cosia stream, Como became the heart of Italy’s silk production-a reputation it still holds today as the source of most high‑end silk manufacturing in Europe.