Como: The Silk City

Como, beautiful landscape, enduring lake but another marvel of this region is its silk. Como is also known as the Silk City. The city has a very interesting story pinned to it for the start of the production of silk. It was in 1400 when Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, decided to plant mulberry trees around Lake Como to feed the silkworms. Well, the interesting fact about the silkworms is that they can eat anything, but they produce silk only when they are fed mulberry leaves.

Well, the production of silk kept growing after the splendid idea of the Duke and to boost it further after the unification of Italy in 1866, the entrepreneurs in Como decided to found a Technical Institute meant to transfer the knowledge to the young professionals in the craft of silk manufacturing. Since then the industry kept on expanding, especially after the Second World War.

With the hard work and dedication of the manufacturers, Como built a worldwide repute for excellence. Its reputation reached such a peak, that, in fact, became known as the Silk City.

After that, In the 1990s, Como became the most important center for silk manufacturing in the world. It attracted all the important fashion houses and major apparel manufacturers ordering silk from the region around Lake Como. The 90’s are considered to have been Como’s “Golden years”.

Well what makes Como region so good for silk cultivation is that the region has ideal environment for the development of the sericulture, with its abundance of mulberry trees and crystal clear waters. To know more about the silk you can always visit the famous 1000 square meter Silk museum of Como.
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​If you are a big fan of Italian silk scarves and clothing then you are probably familiar with the names of the famous brands like Mantero, Ratti, Clerici, and Frey.
It was in the year 1902 that Mantero was started and is still one of the top silk brands in the world. The fashion lovers might be interested in visiting the historical factory of Mantero is in Grandate (15 minutes drive away from Como’s city center), Another historic brand of silk is Frey and was founded even before Mantero in the year 1899. The products of this brand are available also in Fino Mornasco, Cernobbio and Bellagio , the famous cities of this region.

​So, come to Como! You will learn more on this beautiful craftsmanship, and add some great silk scarves tie to your wardrobe!