by Chiara Beghelli
Renzo, the lead character of Italy's most celebrated 19th-century novel – "The Betrothed" by Alessandro Manzoni – was a silk-weaver: a sought-after profession along the shores of Lake Como, where this Italian classic was set. As early as the 1500s, the Como province began to establish itself as Italy's premier hub for silk weaving.
To this day, the sector sees Italy as the world's second biggest producer (preceded only by China), with a turnover of €1.4 billion in 2014. Como, in turn, is the country's number one manufacturing district: Como silks are of the highest standard and turn into clothes and accessories of international renown.
