Did you know? · Lake Como
Lake Como fun facts
Things you might not know about Lake Como. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated October 2026
The silk capital of Europe
UNESCO, which named Como a Creative City for Crafts and Folk Art in 2021, says about 70% of European silk is produced in the Como district, by around 1,400 silk companies, and that the Setificio school, founded in 1868, is Italy’s oldest textile school (unesco.org).
A funicular from 1894
The Funicolare Como–Brunate was inaugurated on 11 November 1894, after building began on 4 January 1893 (funicolarecomo.it).
Inuit ivories on Lake Como
In the attic of the Villa del Balbianello, the Museo delle Spedizioni holds what the FAI describes as the largest collection of Inuit ivories outside Greenland, with the sled from the 1971 North Pole expedition of the villa’s last owner, Guido Monzino (fondoambiente.it).
A sacred mountain on the World Heritage List
The Sacro Monte di Ossuccio is one of the nine Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy that UNESCO inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003 (sacrimonti.org).
A boatyard from 1771
The Cantiere Ernesto Riva at Laglio dates its boatyard on Lake Como to 1771, and still builds and restores boats (cantiereernestoriva.it).
A wine of dried grapes
The Sforzato (Sfursat) di Valtellina was the first dry red passito in Italy to receive the DOCG, in 2003, in the words of the Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini di Valtellina (vinidivaltellina.it).
Questions and answers
How much of Europe’s silk comes from Como?
About 70%, according to UNESCO.