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Irresistible Italy

Textile Tours

Short City Breaks with a Twist

3 Night Creattiva Bergamo & Italian Textile Heritage: Liberty Print Mill, Fondazione Ratti & Museo della Seta

Tour Dates

Wednesday 30th September - Saturday 3rd October 2026

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An early autumn escape to Bergamo & Lake Como; artisanal crafts, fabric printing, silk-making, textile history & a medieval walled city.

This 3 nights/4 days holiday celebrates Como’s textile heritage from its luxurious silk making history to the latest fabric printing techniques. A particular highlight is a rare guided tour of the Liberty Printing Mill where the brand's iconic Tana Lawn cotton is produced. Based in the beautiful medieval walled city of Bergamo, you will also enjoy a day meeting and mingling with Italian artisans at the National Fair of Manual Arts.

The gently paced itinerary brings together history and contemporary craftsmanship and allows plenty of time to enjoy the many delights of Bergamo, from breath taking views to irresistible Italian cuisine.

What We Love

The Italian cities!
The Italian food!
The Italian textiles!
The Italian crafts!

Experiences you will Treasure

Discovering the medieval city of Bergamo, one of Italy’s hidden gems
Taking a deep dive into the living history of Como’s silk making tradition at Museo della Seta
Seeing how Liberty's iconic fabrics are made on a guided tour of the Liberty Printing Mill
Discovering the long history of Italian textiles at the Fondazione Antonio Ratti
Mingling with skilled artisans at a renowned fair – and buying their wares!
Spending time eating, drinking and shopping in two stylish Italian cities

How much is it?

£1,375/person inclusive of BA flights from London Heathrow

£1,100 /person/person without flights

Single Room Supplement: £195

British Airways flights from LHR: £275/person

Please note: flight prices are subject to change

Flight upgrades available upon request

Bergamo Creative Hobby Fair. Creattiva Bergamo Italy

What's Included

3x nights’ bed and breakfast at NH Hotel Bergamo 4*
Private coach to and from the airport and for the day to Como
Lunch on arrival day at Caffè del Tasso
Guided tour of Bergamo Upper Town
One day ticket to Fiera Creattiva Bergamo
Entrance and guided tours in Como:
- Liberty Print Mill
- Fondazione Antonio Ratti
- Museo della Seta di Como
1x Bergamo public transport ticket valid for 10 journeys (on bus & funicular railway)
Services of an ECT Tour Manager throughout

Liberty Print Mill Como Italy Screen print.

Itinerary

Day One

07:10 - depart London Heathrow Terminal 5 on British Airways flight BA0568 for Milan
10:10 - arrive at Milan Linate Airport and transfer by private coach to your hotel, NH Hotel Bergamo, where you will be able to leave your luggage.

Morning – after dropping off your bags, the coach will continue to Città Alta (Upper Town), Bergamo’s beautifully preserved medieval heart, where lunch has been booked at Caffè del Tasso. Established in 1476, this restaurant and has a lively history, including being struck by a cannonball! In the 19th century it was elegantly refurbished in the neoclassical style. We will enjoy a classic Italian meal together.

Afternoon - after lunch a local guide will take you on a private guided tour through the cobbled streets of the stunning Upper Town, where you will discover hidden corners, alleys, squares and Renaissance views, until you reach the heart of the historic centre: Piazza Vecchia and Piazza Duomo. These two squares contain priceless historical treasures such as the Civic Tower, Palazzo della Ragione, Palazzo del Podestà, Palazzo Nuovo, the Duomo, the Baptistery, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Bartolomeo Colleoni Chapel.

After the tour, you will return to the hotel by the funicular railway and local bus (approx 30 minutes).

Evening at leisure

Day Two

Breakfast at the hotel (served 07:00 – 10:00)

Today you will enjoy a full day at the Fiera Creattiva Bergamo in the modern Fiera di Bergamo exhibition centre on the outskirts of Bergamo. Featuring more than 300 exhibitors, the National Fair of Manual Arts is an annual celebration of craft skill and passion. All sectors are represented but jewellery and the fibre arts from embroidery to quilting are particularly strong.
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Travel to and from the exhibition centre is by shuttle bus from the station, which is a short (less than a 10 minutes) walk from the hotel.

Day Three

Breakfast at the hotel (served 07.00 – 10.00)

Morning - after an 08.30 start, you will travel by private coach to the historic town of Como. Known as the gateway to Lake Como and renowned for its textile heritage, we have arranged for guided tours of three important sites.

The day begins at Liberty Print Mill, the Italian home of the classic London brand. You will be taken on a tour around the factory where millions of metres of Liberty fabric, including the brand's signature Tana Lawn cotton, are printed every year. Woven to 240 thread count with a distinctive silky drape then printed with a vibrant floral print, Tana Lawn has defined the Liberty aesthetic for over a century.

The next stop is Fondazione Antonio Ratti, a non-profit cultural institution set in an 18th century villa on the shores of Lake Como. The foundation was created in 1985 by silk entrepreneur and collector, Antonio Ratti and boasts a collection of over 30,000 ancient textiles from around the world.

You will then travel into the centre of Como for an independent lunch in one of the many restaurants and cafès.

Afternoon - you will meet up again for a guided tour of Museo della Seta di Como. This intimate museum is dedicated to Como’s ‘City of Silk’ heritage and traces the full silk-making process from silkworms and mulberry leaves to yarns, weaving and finished fashion pieces.

At the end of the day, you will travel back by coach to Bergamo for an evening at leisure.

Day Four

Breakfast at the hotel (served 07.00 – 10.00)

Your final day has been left free for you to explore Bergamo at leisure. Check out from the hotel is at 12.00 and luggage can be stored safely at reception.

14:30 - depart hotel by private coach for Milano Linate Airport
17:40 - depart Milano Linate Airport on British Airways flight BA0575 for London Heathrow
18:35 - arrive London Heathrow Terminal 5

Tour End

Liberty Print Mill Como Italy Screen print fashion

Where you will stay

NH Hotel Bergamo 4* - 3x nights

Located close to Bergamo’s shops, museums and restaurants and within easy reach, via the charming old funicular, of the historical area Città Alta, this contemporary, comfortable hotel is the ideal base for this tour.

The spacious bedrooms offer plenty of natural light and come with a TV, a minibar and free Wi-Fi. The hotel serves a full buffet breakfast and there is also a 24-hour open bar service. The is gym is open daily.

Flights

OUTBOUND - Wednesday 30th September 2026
07:10 - depart London Heathrow Terminal 5 on British Airways flight BA0568 for Milan
10:10 - arrive at Milan Linate Airport

INBOUND - Saturday 3rd October 2026
17:40 - depart Milano Linate Airport on British Airways flight BA0575 for London Heathrow
18:35 - arrive London Heathrow Terminal 5

Luggage Allowace:

1x small handbag/laptop bag (max 40 x 30 x 15 cm)
1x 23kg hold bag
1x additional cabin bag (56x45x25cm)

British Airways appointed operator logo

A Deeper Dive

Como's textile tradition

The City of Silk

Como has been known for centuries as the 'city of silk,' a place where threads from faraway lands were transformed into luxurious fabrics destined for courts, ateliers and fashion houses. The credit for establishing Como as a silk producer goes to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, who in the 15th century ordered the mass planting of mulberry trees and encouraged the rearing of silkworms thereby establishing Lake Como as a global centre for silk production. Today Como produces 3,200 tons of silk each year, representing 85% of all silk made in Italy and providing 70% of Europe’s silk.

The Liberty Print Mill

Nestled on the banks of Lake Como, this family-run mill is owned by iconic London brand, Liberty. Specialist technicians and artisans operating rotary and digital printing technologies produce millions of metres of fabric each year on linen, silk and Liberty’s signature Tana Lawn cotton. The printing machines are custom developed, designed to maximise speed and pattern precision, resulting in extraordinarily detailed designs.

After printing, the fabric passes through steaming, washing and softening processes before being thoroughly checked and then cut, rolled and shipped around the world. The mill’s archives hold more than 45,000 original designs.

Fondazione Antonio Ratti

The Fondazione Antonio Ratti (FAR) was established by Antonio Ratti and is housed in the splendid Villa Sucota, an 18th-century mansion on the western shore of Lake Como. FAR’s Museo Studio del Tessuto (MuST) contains over 40,000 items and more than 1,500 sample books, with textiles dating from the 3rd to the 20th century, from archaeological textiles, velvet fabrics of the Tuscan Renaissance, Indian cashmere shawls and artefacts from the Republic of Congo.

The villa’s gardens also host site-specific artworks by artists who have collaborated with the Foundation, making it as much a place of contemporary art as of textile heritage.

Museo della Seta (Silk Museum)

The Museo della Seta collects, preserves and exhibits the story of Como’s textile production tradition through objects, documents, samples and tools. Opened in 1990, it curates Como's history of silk production, from silkworm cultivation through to the refinement processes of spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing. Look forward to silk weaving demonstrations and explore an extensive collection of historical artefacts, including vintage looms, intricate silk patterns and luxurious textiles.

The Liberty Printing Mill

Liberty is a quintessentially British brand, but its famous fabrics are made at their printing mill near the banks of Italy’s Lake Como. This family-owned mill was founded in 1969 under the name Olonia and soon became a benchmark for printing high width bedding and home textiles. Today, these decades of skill combine with cutting-edge technologies to produce millions of metres of beautiful printed fabrics every year, including Liberty’s signature Tana Lawn cotton.

The plain white cotton bases are prepared for print at a separate textile mill nearby. Once they arrive at the Liberty Printing Mill, a long and complex process begins, starting in the ‘Colour Kitchen’, with its rainbow of unlidded paint pots, for the technically trickly print strike-off tests.

The next stage is rotary screen printing. This is done methodically by colour, using rollers to dye each section individually for a pristine, graphic effect. The rollers themselves are works of art, each engraved by hand by skilled local craftspeople who ensure that each line and shape is perfectly defined. When Liberty interviewed the mill’s Production Director, Giovanni Marziano, he said that this was his favourite part of the process: “Without any doubt, I’ve always loved the printing phase the most,” he said. “To see a white fabric becoming a marvellous design in a snap, at 40 metres per minute, is almost a magical experience.”

Swathes of newly printed fabric then move smoothly through a series of stages, including steaming, washing and finishing, before being rolled up and shipped to customers around the world.

Our itinerary includes a guided tour of this fascinating mill. It is not generally open to the public, so this is a rare chance to see Liberty’s iconic fabrics being made. “The most exciting aspect is seeing all the complicated processes and realising how the magic happens,” says Marziano. “Seeing white fabric become an amazing Liberty fabric is a wonderful experience... one that occurs every day.”

Museo della Seta di Como silkworm illustration

Before you Book

Please read our Booking Conditions
This tour requires a minimum of 10 passengers to run. Please refer to point 7 in our booking conditions for more information
Mobility: This tour is generally suitable for most guests. If you have any concerns or specific mobility issues, please let us know ahead of booking
From 12^th October 2025, the EU introduced a new Entry/Exit System (EES), changing requirements for UK nationals travelling to the Schengen area:
- UK travellers must provide biometric details (fingerprints and a photo) on arrival, potentially resulting in longer immigration queues
- No fee applies for the biometric registration
- Please refer to our Booking Conditions for more information
For all travellers booking from outside of the UK to join this tour departing from the UK, please check if you need a ETA Visa