Museo della Barca Lariana

The Museo della Barca Lariana at Pianello del Lario preserves the maritime culture of Lake Como in a former silk mill. Its boats, engines and related collections follow the work and leisure that developed on the lake.

Why it matters

The collection grew from GianAlberto Zanoletti’s efforts to preserve traditional craft as wooden boats disappeared from everyday use. It connects boatbuilding with fishing, transport, sailing and motor racing.

What to notice

Working boats share the collection with elegant motor launches, runabouts and racing craft. Boatbuilders including Taroni, Cranchi and Cadenazzi represent local production, while Riva boats connect the lake with a wider design tradition. Historic engines and records of boatbuilders’ knowledge complement the hulls.

Context and history

The museum opened in 1982 in the nineteenth-century Filanda Erba. After a prolonged closure, it reopened in 2018. The former industrial buildings give the collection a setting connected with another major activity of the lakeshore, silk production, while the boats preserve the changing uses of the water itself.