Catanzaro silk: what is left, and where to see it

Catanzaro's silk trade survives as a date and a building: the guild statutes were fixed in 1519¹ by a diploma of Charles V, and the mill the City points to, Palazzo Marincola on via Alessandro Turco, now houses the MARCA art museum.

From 1205 to 1519

The cathasariti, drapes of Catanzaro, are first recorded in 1205¹. King Ladislaus of Durazzo granted the trade tax relief in 1397¹, and in 1519¹ a diploma of Charles V fixed the Capitoli dell'Arte della Seta, the rules of the silk guild.

For centuries Catanzaro was the silk city of the Kingdom of Naples. The technical standard the City cites is 7,600¹ threads for every damask.

The looms, a count to read with care

According to the City of Catanzaro, the looms numbered about 500¹ in the 16th century, rose to 5,000¹ or 6,000¹ in the 17th and fell back to about 800¹ in the 18th.

The 17th century figure is a number handed down, not an archival count, and the City's two pages on silk aren't independent of each other. The decline came between the late 18th and the early 19th century.

What survives: Palazzo Marincola

Palazzo Marincola is a silk mill of the mid 19th century, and today it houses the MARCA, the Museo delle Arti di Catanzaro, on via Alessandro Turco.

It's the piece of the industry the City points to as visitable. Its opening hours and ticket price aren't verified in our sources, so confirm them with the museum before you build a visit around it.

No working silk workshop appears on the City's pages. What you can see here is a history in a building, not a craft you can buy.

Pairing it with the Parco della Biodiversità

The Parco della Biodiversità Mediterranea Michele Traversa covers 60 hectares at Via Cortese Vinicio 1, on the site of a disused area.

The City calls it the first international sculpture park in southern Italy, with works by Antony Gormley and Michelangelo Pistoletto among others. That's the City's own description, and nobody has checked it independently.

The park also holds the MUSMI military history museum and a wildlife rescue center. No opening hours or entry conditions are published for it, so the same rule applies: check before you go.

For the full story, see Catanzaro was the silk city. For the rest of the town, see things to do in Catanzaro and Catanzaro.

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