Meet the artisans of Como, reviving craft in an age of mass production

Over the past few decades, there has been an exodus of artisans from European cities, where running a carpentry workshop or making shoes can be expensive. But manufacturing enclaves can still be found in the continent’s urban centres, doing wonders for customer trust, brand reputation and quality control. Among them is Como in northern Italy. Though the lakeside spot is known largely for hospitality, it’s also home to plenty of creatives and makers.

Beyond the historic centre is the city’s oldest silk producer, Taroni. “The story is that the lake’s water had a pH level that lent itself to printing fabrics,” says Maximilian Canepa, Taroni’s owner and creative director. Como has long been a centre of silk production; today, 25 companies still work with the fabric. “If you want something unique and researched, you come here,” says Canepa, explaining that Taroni provides silk to Milan’s fashion houses.

At printing studio Edizioni Lithos, founder Alfredo Taroni deals in intricate etchings. “Como had an art tradition that was lost in the early 20th century,” he says. “We brought it back in 1989 [with Edizioni Lithos].”

Today, there is a new story of craft being told by makers such as Luca Mandaglio and Lisa Castelnovo, whose pottery studio, Como Lake Pottery, works on commission for hotels, restaurants and a design firm in France. “Como’s beautiful spaces – the green and blue between the sky and the mountains,” says Mandaglio. “It’s inspiring.”
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