The golden thread story begins a long time ago. An exclusive secret of the Chinese Imperial Court for centuries, the silk manufacture industry was imported to Italy after the year one thousand, and spread to the south of Italy, especially Sicily. Silk production began in the Como area around 1400, mainly thanks to Duke Ludovico Sforza who imposed mulberry tree cultivation to the farmers. This initiative gave him the title of Ludovico il Moro, which comes from the name of the mulberry plant, which in Latin is “bombix mori” and in Como’s dialect “murun”. Even nowadays, the mulberry tree leaf is still the only food for the silkworm, which for thousands of years has completed its vital cycle becoming a precious cocoon from a minuscule egg. Once the worm has stopped growing, it begins to produce a very thin thread in which it wraps itself, creating the cocoon in which it transforms into a butterfly. The last part of the process must be interrupted in order to unwind the cocoon and obtain a single thread of about 1500 meters that is then joined with other strings to achieve the right strength. From this moment onwards begins the transformation of the silk into a fabric, and above all the creation of the design that makes each silk unique, and the reason why the city of Como in famous worldwide.
Silk Educational Museum In the silk educational museum, there is a complete collection of original machinery which was used by the various silk manufacturers until just a few years ago. Here it is possible to take the journey of the silk thread from the egg by which the worm is born to the thread spinning, from the fabric creation to the printing, arriving ultimately at the finished product.
The Silk Museum Opened in 1990, is an important part of the silk history in Como. The museum is a tangible representation of the continuity between past and present of an industry that maintains a supremacy over the whole world. Located in the same building as I.S.I.S. Setificio, a school that trains textile designers and chemises, the museum is approximately 900 sq. m. in area. Moving through the various rooms in this building it is possible to experience the journey of this precious material, from the silkworm to the final product. In the hall a factory entrance is reproduced, displaying precious timecard punchers. The main room exhibits part of the silkworm culture and machinery used for the preparation of the material. A large spinning machine, historic handlooms and mechanical looms precede the dyeing works phase. Afterwards there is the measure and control room with a wide collection of machines used to measure the spun weight and strength. Following this there is the chemical lab perfectly reproduced thanks to the historical furniture and instruments from the period. The printing office is also very interesting: the colors kitchen, a printing table with a collection of wide wooden and metal “planches”, a hand printing table with squares, antique tracing papers and photoengraving gadgets. Cylinder printing is demonstrated by particular sampling machines and by finely engraved wooden and brass cylinders. The last room is dedicated to the finishing stage of the fabric: there is a very interesting wooden machine which makes the moiré effect on the silk, a pleat making machine and an impressive Palmer from 1932.
Museum of Fabric Study (Antonio Ratti Foundation) This particular museum was officially founded in 1998, the result of a transformation process of the private antique fabrics collection, collected over a period of forty years, by Antonio Ratti, founder of the Ratti Silk Firm. The MuST follows the double objective of preserving immense historical possessions and making them public thanks to research, exposure and study activities. With over 400.000 pieces, the collection is an immense historical documentation. It acts as a unique research facility within its field as it offers a particularly fast consultation process through its multimedia catalogue.
Mulberry Silkworm Culture Centre (Cassina Rizzardi) A few kilometers outside of Como is this special mulberry silkworm culture center. The center has the strong educational objective of teach the silkworm breeding process. For this reason many schools, of all levels, visit the center during the spring period, to observe the silkworm’s important cycle, from birth until cocoon stage. Furthermore, there are many outlets stores where you can buy silk at factory prices.
