The most ancient factory for silk manufacture dates back to 1510; in particular, it is a throwing mill built in Como by Pietro Boldoni from Bellano (Cronache di Francesco Muralto – beginning of the 16th century).
The historian Giuseppe Rovelli (1738-1819) wrote that the “silk drapery factory” was restored by Pagano Merino in 1554, who was also given a prize to build up a spinning mill.
Weaving was popular even before the 16th century, but the historians of the period did not specify names and places.
The growing of mulberry trees in order to breed silkworms was introduced under the Duchy of the Visconti and Sforza families (1395-1535). In fact in 1470, Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1444-1476) ordered to “plant five mulberry trees for every perch of land”. In the following years, Ludovico Sforza - nicknamed “the Moor”- (1451-1508), further developed mulberry growing in the family farm close to Vigevano (1486).
However, silk production started consolidating only from 1740, thanks to the prosperous factory belonging to Pietro Cesare Bonanome (closed in 1778). In fact, up to the 1620s, the economy of the Como area was mainly based on wool production; from that period on, a slow economic and social decline took place because of the Spanish dominion, the plague, and the overflow of both the lake and the river Cosia.

Silk production as an art

In the past, silk production was mainly carried out by craftsmen and based on the relation between merchants and guilds; in particular, merchants had the money to commission the various phases of silk production (i.e. winding, throwing, dyeing and weaving) to the so-called Maestri d’Arte, who had to respect the rules of their guild in order to practise their art.
From the end of the 16th century on, social and political changes started deteriorating the guild system, which ended in the second half of the 18th century with the birth of the first factories.
In 1773, such guilds were abolished by Joseph II (Wien 1741-1790), causing severe damage to fabric creation and production because of the lack of rules.
On 24th July 1786, the Chambers of Commerce in Austrian Lombardy (Milan, Mantova, Cremona, Como, Pavia, Lodi, Gallarate and Codogno) were established.
Some documents from the Archivio di Stato di Como state that people asked the chamber representative of the Austrian government to improve and qualify the textile activity through the institution of a “Seminario delle Arti” (a seminar on the arts).
In 1795, the Mercantile Chamber drew up a list of rules and gave a certificate to professional weavers.
In that period, the importance of silk production in Como increased significantly, and in 1870 Como became the main national textile centre; moreover, it played a leading role between 1869 and 1891, thanks to the invention of mechanical looms and the improvements in both technology and education.

(Sources: Tito Broggi: “Storia del setificio comasco”, Bruno Caizzi, “L’economia”)

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