Museo Della Seta Como: The Silk Museum

The museum's contact page lists Tuesday 14:00-18:00 and Wednesday to Sunday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00. Monday is not listed, so it is closed. Groups must book in advance.

The lunch break means you cannot slip in just before 13:00 and expect to keep browsing through, the museum empties and closes. Plan to arrive either before 12:00 for a morning visit or at 14:00 for the afternoon.

The family ticket is priced per person, one rate for each parent and a lower one for each child up to 18. A worked example: a family of two parents and two children pays $24.20 (€21) in total, two tickets at €7 and two at €3.50.

How To Buy Online

The booking form on the museum's website offers fixed entry slots at 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30 and 17:00. Payment goes through PayPal, or by card via PayPal, and the e-ticket arrives by email. Walk-up tickets are also sold at the museum desk.

Booking is required for groups and schools at prenota@museosetacomo.com.

The museum's visit page numbers the route in the order a silk mill worked, so the table reads as the production line from cocoon to cloth.

Machines, Labels And The Golden Age Of Silk

The museum collects machines, objects, documents, sample books and work tools from the textile trades of Como's golden age of silk. One section is devoted to the labels of raw silk skeins imported from Japan and China in the early 1900s, a small archive of where Como's raw material came from. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions of fashion, art and costume, so check what is on when you book.

The museum itself claims to be the only museum institution in the world able to tell the whole production process, from the silkworm to coloured yarns, from hand printing to fashion collections. That is the museum's own claim, not an independent one, but the room-by-room layout is the reason visitors come.

• Audioguide in three languages, available in a limited number and included in the ticket. Ask at the desk when you arrive
• Guided visits for groups of 10 or more, guide included in the ticket. A foreign-language guide costs a surcharge, and an English visit with museum staff can be arranged on request
• Groups must be guided, per the FAQ page
• Photos and filming are allowed inside
• A small shop at the entrance sells products made in the Como area, and there is an online shop too
• Only small dogs are admitted, ones that can be carried or held in a carrier
• Hot and cold drinks are available self-service, and there is free wifi
• The museum is fully accessible to disabled visitors, with architectural and cognitive barriers removed. Since 2023 a renewed display, funded through the PNRR, added sensory elements for visitors with difficulties
• Alternative routes: the normal route with or without audioguide, a digital game route through the webapp 'storie di lago', and a 10-room video in Italian Sign Language
• The museum's library and the collections not on display can be consulted by appointment

Three routings for the ten rooms, from a quick walk-through to a full morning session, each with what it leaves out. The times are our estimates.

The morning window is the constraint. If you enter at 11:30 or 12:00 you have 60 to 90 minutes at most before the lunch closure, which fits the quick routing only. For the standard visit, take the first morning slot or come at 14:00 and stay into the afternoon.

• It is officially recognised as a museo d'impresa, a company museum, and is run by the Fondazione della Seta ETS (museosetacomo.com, museum page)
• The museum claims to be the only museum institution in the world able to tell the whole silk production process, from the silkworm to coloured yarns and on to fashion collections (museosetacomo.com, museum page)
• There is a section devoted to the labels of raw silk skeins imported from Japan and China in the early 1900s, evidence of where Como's raw silk came from (museosetacomo.com, museum page)
• Since 2023 the display has been renewed with PNRR funds and includes sensory elements for visitors with difficulties, plus a video of the ten rooms in Italian Sign Language (museosetacomo.com, museum page)
• Photos and filming are allowed inside, and the museum's library and the collections not on display can be consulted by appointment (museosetacomo.com, FAQ page)

By Train

The museum names two rail options. On the Trenord Milano Cadorna-Como Lago line, the stop is Como Nord Borghi. On the FS Milano-Chiasso line, the stop is Como San Giovanni.

The Como San Giovanni station guide covers that station, and the Milan to Como train page compares the two lines.

By Bus

ASF urban line 7, Sagnino-Lora, stops at San Martino/Università, the stop the museum gives.

By Car

From the A9 take the Como Sud exit and follow the signs for Lecco Bergamo. Paid parking is listed at the Via Castelnuovo-Università multi-storey car park, the Via Castelnuovo surface car park and the Ippocastano car park on Via Aldo Moro. Our Como parking guide covers the wider picture.

On Foot From The Old Town

The museum sits outside the walled city. It publishes no walking route or time from the centre, so we give none. Check the map below before you set off.

Pattern One: The Morning Visit

Enter at the 10:00 or 10:30 slot, walk the ten rooms with the audioguide, and be in the shop by about 12:00. Lunch somewhere in the city, then the afternoon for the old town. The guided city walk runs through the historic centre and pairs well with an afternoon, or you can follow our Como in 2 days plan and slot the museum into its indoor half.

Pattern Two: The Afternoon Slot

Spend the morning on the lakefront and the cathedral, then enter the museum at 14:00 and stay until it closes at 18:00. This is the only option on Tuesday, when the museum opens at 14:00. Because the museum is indoors, it is a natural pick on a wet day, and the rainy day Como guide groups it with the other covered sights.

Pattern Three: The Short Version

If you only have an hour, take the first or last slot of a session and walk the ten rooms without the audioguide. You will miss the commentary, but the room sequence tells the process story on its own. This is our routing, the museum publishes no visit length.