Marvelous Milanese silk Who knew such a humble worm held such power? Right here before us stands the Baco da Seta a monument to the silkworm. It celebrates a rich history. For centuries Milan was a major silk producer. The silkworm Bombyx mori was the key.
Imagine the lives of Crescenzago’s farmers. Women mostly tended the silkworms feeding them mulberry leaves daily. Men worked the fields. But silkworm raising was hard work too. The final ten days were the most demanding. The worms prepared to spin their cocoons. Families even moved furniture to make room for the silkworms.
These hardworking people made a little extra money. This supplemented their meager income. It helped with unexpected expenses. Many Crescenzago ladies even had better dowries because of it.
The silkworm is an amazing creature. From birth to becoming a chrysalis it eats 40.000 times its body weight. It produces up to 15 meters of silk thread a minute. A single cocoon contains 300 to 900 meters of thread. Some cocoons even contain up to 1500 meters. The silk thread is incredibly strong stronger than steel. It takes 5 to 10 kg of cocoons to make 1 kg of raw silk.
Silk production started in China. It was a secret for centuries. It arrived in Europe only in the sixth century. Legend says Greek monks smuggled silkworm eggs to Constantinople hidden in their walking sticks.
Silk production boomed in Italy especially in Lombardy and Milan. In 1906 Lombardy produced half of Italy’s silk. Milan Province alone produced a tenth. Farmers sold their cocoons to collection centers often cooperatives. These centers dried the cocoons before selling them to silk mills. The De Ponti mill in Crescenzago was one such mill. It bought cocoons from local farmers. It dried them at the mill itself. Insurance policies from 1870 even mention cocoon-drying machines.
Silk production declined rapidly in the early 20th century. In Lombardy it lasted until the 1950s. The De Ponti mill in Sesto San Giovanni remained open until World War II. This Baco da Seta monument stands as a reminder of Milan’s industrious past. It honors the tireless work and ingenuity of those who contributed to Milan’s silk-making legacy. It is a tribute to the little worm that made Milan a fashion capital.