Type:

Luoghi della cultura; Ente/Istituzione

Category:

Museums

In the 1818 Pietro Monti, throwster, came to Abbadia Lariana from Milan. He transformed the old building for felting wool into a place for the production of silk. In 1869 he enlarged the building and he added a new one for the spinning of cocoon; the first of the two spinning machines was demolished and in its place three rectangular spinning machines were built. The second circular spinning machine, which hadn't been working since 1934, was bought by the Abegg family. It was dismantled and offered to the Technorama Museum of Winterhurt in the 1965. Throwing activity lasted until 1934. After a period of standstill and degradation, the town council of Abbadia bought the building in 1978. The works of restoration of buildings and of the spinning machine started in 1981, though passing through several hard moments. The circular spinning machine of 1818 can still work. In the 1998 the Museo Setificio Monti was finally opened. The museum is composed by the Monti complex: the spinning machine of 1818 and the spinning mill of 1869. The complex is composed by 2 buildings, one with the spinning machine-winder, the other one with the spinning mill and its activities. Before the restoration works started, there were nothing left of spinning mill building, while there were still the three rectangular spinning machines and 15% of the circular spinning machine. Besides the ruins of same auxiliary machine, there are two hydraulic wheels with the irrigation ditch.