On the first floor of Villa Guaita in Ponte Lambro, the Museo del Cotone e del Cotonificio (Cotton and Cotton Mill Museum) is an interactive, experiential museum devoted to cotton and to the history of the former cotton mill that shaped life in the village.
Villa Guaita is an eighteenth-century residence that belonged to the owners of the cotton mill, surrounded by a public park; it later became a care home and stood abandoned before its restoration. The project, funded by Fondazione Cariplo as part of Make Como, reopened the villa’s rooms in April 2024, with the museum and the Casa del Teatro e della Tradizione Popolare (House of Theatre and Folk Tradition).
The story of the cotton mill
The Ponte Lambro cotton mill began in 1840 with the construction of the spinning mill and came to employ over 1,500 people, tying together the history of the village’s families for a century; it closed in 2012. It retains its mid-nineteenth-century appearance, with its characteristic saw-tooth roofs.
The route
After the welcome area, a flexible space hosts meetings and workshops for children; two rooms with interactive and virtual displays tell the story of the cotton mill and of the working-class society that grew up around it; the route ends with an experience devoted to cotton made of touch, smell, sight and sound.
Practical information
- Address: Piazza Puecher, Ponte Lambro.
- The official pages consulted (September 2026) give neither opening hours nor prices: openings appear to be concentrated around events such as Ville Aperte (Open Villas). To visit, it is worth contacting the Comune: telephone 031 623240, protocollo@comune.pontelambro.co.it.