Lake Como, the lake of silk and music: the back story

About Lake Como, the lake of silk and music: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Lake Como Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Como was named a UNESCO Creative City for Crafts and Folk Art in 2021, for its silk: UNESCO counts about 1,400 silk companies in the Como district, which produces about 70% of European silk. The Museo della Seta tells that story, from the silkworm to hand printing. The town’s Teatro Sociale has staged opera since 1813; the villas hold great collections, from the Canovas of the Villa Carlotta to the Balbianello’s expedition museum; and on the Lecco shore, the museums of SiMUL include the Villa Manzoni.

Silk

UNESCO says about 70% of European silk is produced in the Como district, by around 1,400 companies, and that the Setificio school, founded in 1868, is Italy’s oldest textile school. The Museo della Seta, at Via Castelnuovo 9, follows the whole process, from the silkworm to coloured yarns, hand printing and fashion collections.

Music

The Teatro Sociale di Como, at Via Bellini 3, is an opera house of 1813; in summer its Arena holds the festival Como Città della Musica. The LakeComo International Music Festival publishes its own season.

Combine the Museo della Seta with a walk through Como’s walled town.

Collections

The Villa Carlotta holds masterpieces by Canova, Hayez and Thorvaldsen; the Villa del Balbianello the collections of the explorer Guido Monzino; and Cernobbio’s Villa Bernasconi is a house museum of the Art Nouveau era. In Lecco, SiMUL runs the Villa Manzoni, the Palazzo delle Paure and the Torre Viscontea.

Boats and bicycles

At Pianello del Lario, the Museo Barca Lariana keeps hundreds of historic boats; on the Ghisallo pass above Bellagio, the Museo del Ciclismo stands beside the cyclists’ chapel.

Our advice: check each museum’s season: several close or shorten their hours in winter.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Lake Como, the lake of silk and music: the back story before you go.