Excursion tips

Museums around Lake Como

Museums around Lake Como invite you to learn interesting facts about the region and its people – whatever the weather. Particular highlights include the Hermann Hesse Museum near Lugano and the Moto Guzzi Museum in Mandello del Lario. But fashion enthusiasts, cycling fans, amateur historians, and treasure hunters will also find plenty to enjoy.

On Lake Como there’s a museum for everyone!

Como Silk Museum – Silk Museum

The Silk Museum presents the history of the local silk industry over an area of approximately 800 m². Opened in 1990, the museum recounts the history of the silk city of Como and offers fascinating insights into the development of silk production and processing. Here, visitors can admire numerous historic and modern machines used in silk production.

The museum is about a 20-minute walk from the Duomo. Located at Via Castelnuovo, 9, Como. Of all the museums on Lake Como, the Silk Museum is a must-see on your itinerary.

Tel. 031 – 303180
Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday 9:00-12:00 / 15:00-18:00

Info: www.museosetacomo.com/eng_home.php

Hermann Hesse Museum in Montagnola near Lugano

Hermann Hesse is a Nobel Prize winner in literature and is considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Hesse achieved great fame not least through his works “Steppenwolf” and “Narcissus and Goldmund.” In the small but important Hermann Hesse Museum in Torre Camuzzi, an ancient building in Montagnola near Lugano, visitors are invited to read and reflect and learn a lot about the life and works of Hermann Hesse during his more than 40-year stay in Ticino. There are also interesting temporary exhibitions.

Camuzzi Tower in Montagnola – Tel. +41(0)91 993 37 70
Opening Hours:
March 1 – October 31: Mon-Sun 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM
November 1 – February 28: Sat-Sun 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Info: www.hessemontagnola.ch

Cycling Museum in Madonna del Ghisallo

One of the museums around Lake Como is the Cycling Museum in Madonna del Ghisallo, where you can find cycling memorabilia. If you take the winding road from Bellagio up to Civenna, you will reach the Madonna del Ghisallo Museum. The small pilgrimage church overlooking Lake Como is dedicated to the patron saint of cyclists. Here, jerseys, bikes, and pictures of Italian cycling legends are kept as if they were holy relics. Cyclists and cycling enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy here.

P.le del Santuario, Magreglio

Opening hours:

1.11 to 31.03, Tue-Sat 10am to 5pm. Sun 9.30am to 5.30pm.
April 1st to October 31st: Tue-Sat 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Sun 9 am to 6 pm. Closed on Mondays.

Info: www.museodelghisallo.it

Moto Guzzi museum in Mandello del Lario

The Moto Guzzi factory museum in Mandello del Lario (between Varenna and Lecco) is a particular highlight for motorcycle fans among all the museums around Lake Como. Here, the history of Moto Guzzi is told and there are numerous machines to marvel at. Covering almost 80 years of factory history, the museum exhibits numerous engine and motorcycle prototypes, over 100 production models, and racing motorcycles up to 1957, Guzzi’s last year of racing after more than 3,300 victories.

Via Parodi, 63 in Mandello del Lario – Tel. 0341 – 709111

opening hours: Fr-Sa 10:00-18:00h

Guided tours: Mon – Thurs 2:30-4:30 pm / Free admission.

Info: de.motoguzzi.it

Treasure Museum - Museo del Tesoro in Valchiavenna

The ancient Roman town of Chiavenna offers artistic, gastronomic, and artisanal highlights, such as the Collegiate Church of St. Lorenzo with its treasure museum, the Museo del Tesoro. The highlight of the exhibition is the so-called Pace di Chiavenna, an 11th-century Gospel book cover made of gold, precious stones, and precious miniatures.

Opening Hours:
March 1 – October 31, 2022: Tue, Thu, Sat 10:00-12:30 and 15:00-18:00 / Sun 10:00-12:00 / Mon, Wed, Fri closed
November 1 – February 28, 2023: Tue-Fri 14:00-16:00 / Sat: 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00 / Sun 14:00-17:00
Info: www.valchiavenna.com/de/kultur/Schatzmuseum.html

The Mill – Mulino the Bootonera in Valchiavenna

The Mulino di Bottonera mill in Chiavenna is also worth visiting for its authentic 19th-century milling atmosphere. The Bottonera mill was built in 1867 and is located in the artisan quarter of Chiavenna.

Opening hours:
Temporarily closed
Info: www.valchiavenna.com/de/kultur/Die-Bottonera-Muehle.html

Natural History Museum in Valchiavenna

In Madesimo, you will find a very interesting natural history museum – the “Museo etnografico della Valchiavenna” on Via Mala, one of the oldest historical routes through the Alps, which connected Central Europe with the Mediterranean. The museum was opened in 1982 and displays a unique collection showing the influence that humans have had and continue to have on Val Codera.

Opening hours: daily 8-18h
Info: www.valchiavenna.com/en/culture/The-Natural-History-Museum-of-Ethnography-at-Val-Codera.html

We have brochures from several museums around Lake Como available at LABREVA. Simply ask our telephone team for information material to help you plan your holiday and leisure activities on Lake Como when you make your booking.

In our holiday homes, apartments and hotels on Lake Como you will also find a comprehensive information folder (VA BENE) with many tips and insider information about other museums in Italy, cultural events, sports facilities and other useful information for planning your holiday.

Are you a hobby artist yourself? Are you perhaps planning a longer inspirational creative trip to Lake Como and would like to set up a small holiday studio in your vacation home for painting, photography, sketching, or designing? We would be delighted to help you plan your creative trip. Please ask us about special rates for longer stays. Would you like to share your work with other LABREVA guests? We are very interested in exhibiting your paintings or sculptures in our houses. Our service team looks forward to your call.

Boat Museum Barca Lariana

At Via Regina 1268 in Pianello del Lario, you’ll find one of the most interesting museums around Lake Como: the Barca Lariana Maritime Museum. A collection of 160 boats transports you back in time, showcasing the local shipping tradition of the last two centuries. A unique experience that lets you discover boating on Lake Como in a whole new way.

Opening hours: Fri, Sat, Sun 2 pm – 6 pm, Mon – Thu on request (for groups of 15 or more people)

Info: https://museobarcalariana.it/