Six centuries ago, mulberry trees once flourished in South Calabria’s mild Mediterranean climate and it became the center of Europe’s silk industry. Today, a young couple is trying to revitalize that silk production in the village of San Floro.

We toured their beautiful property and museum, getting a first-hand look at the life cycle of silkworms, and the traditional hands-on techniques they use to produce silk for customers like Gucci! I have toured silk factories before, but this one was definitely the most meaningful experience. All of the silk produced here is organic and chemical-free.

We went through the various stages of the silkworm growth…these worms grow 6000 times in 28 days! The leaves are dried before giving to the worms since they can not digest water.

They have 3000 mulberry plants and it takes four years to begin using them. Their silk worms need about 1000 pounds a week, and this is all hand-done, in an ancient way. In the end, it produces silk, which is the strongest natural fiber in the world. The wooden box in the picture is where they put individual worms to spin their cocoons.

She makes this all look so easy….the video describes the process of boiling the cocoons to remove the ‘glue’, then collecting the silk.

We each had a chance to try getting the silk onto the bamboo tool…it is definitely harder than it looks!!

They also have a small museum and shop. This couple is amazing…they grew up in this area, went off to pursue their careers (she has a PhD in anthropology), but have returned to revive this industry. They have orders from Gucci now, so that must say they are on their way to success!!