Rubelli ─ A Story of Silk in Venice

There has always been a very close tie between precious fabrics and the lagoon city. Even today it is possible to find places in Venice, sometimes hidden away, sometimes located in ancient palaces and residences, where the precious textile still holds sway.

Fabrics that nowadays furnish theaters, castles, and museums in all parts of Europe, as well as royal residences, ministries, and embassies in Italy and elsewhere, are often produced by Rubelli, the ancient textile manufacturing company based in Venice on the Grand Canal.

Even though Rubelli has now become a multinational company with weaving plants in Como (Italy) and Pennsylvania, the quality of its brocade, damask, velvet, silk, and lampas remains unique. A leader in Italy and ranked highly in the world, Rubelli sets the very trends in textile design.

Irene Favaretto is the author of several works on ancient Greek and Roman art. Her interests mainly concern the history of collection and the influence of classical art on Venetian way of life. Isabella Campagnol, after teaching the history of art at the University of Udine in northeastern Italy, is currently the curator of the Historical Textile Collection and Archives of the Rubelli Group.