The silkworm produces silk in two glands that are located parallel inside its body. The very thin saliva solidifies upon contact with air, and the silkworm, moving its head and entire body, arranges it in layers, forming a cocoon of raw silk, made up of a single continuous silk thread of variable length between 300 and 900 meters or more. The thread is made up of two proteins: fibroin and sericin. The silkworm takes 3-4 days to prepare the cocoon, which consists of a single uninterrupted thread, after which it will transform into a chrysalis and then into a moth (butterfly). Silk Threads, City Museum of Rovereto, exhibition open until March 30, 2025.
