Born with Paper

There are multiple stories on how the art of paper landed in Fabriano. According to one of them, the inhabitants of the town learnt it from Arab prisoners who had been captured while storming the port of Ancona.

A parchment document from 1264, held today in Matelica (MC), is evidence of Amalfi paper production in Fabriano, produced by animal gelatin sizing and made of cotton fibres. It is the start of a paper revolution, and of the fortunes of paper made from cotton.

As they search for solutions to certify the uniqueness of their papers, the Fabriano papermakers take inspiration from wool makers, weaving signs and designs between the laid lines and chain lines of their looms. These ”invisible water signs” can only be seen when backlit. A guarantee of uniqueness, quality and authenticity.

Johannes Gutenberg invents the first printing press.

1487 is the date attributed to the watermark, used also by Raffaello, a few years later, for one of his sketches.

Michelangelo uses Fabriano paper for correspondence with his friend Niccolò Della Buca.

During the Industrial Revolution, Pietro Miliani brings together numerous Fabriano paper artisans under his own name and founds the Cartiere Pietro Miliani Fabriano paper mills. The company soon becomes the most important in the sector.

German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven uses Fabriano paper to jot down notes and music.

At the Great Exhibition in London, the Cartiere Pietro Miliani Fabriano, which have been passed down to Pietro’s grandson, Giuseppe, are awarded a gold medal for excellence, the only winners amongst all the Italian participants. Later, the company is expanded even further, becoming an undisputed, modern, industrial complex.

September 30rd, 1873. Caprera. Giuseppe Garibaldi writes to friend and anarchist Errico Malatesta, choosing Fabriano’s watermarked paper.

Amongst the lovers of Fabriano paper ranks Gabriele D’Annunzio too, as seen in a series of watermarked letters the poet sent to singer and musician Olga Brunner Levi.

Under national control since 1931, the Cartiere Pietro Miliani Fabriano are officially renamed Cartiere Miliani Fabriano.

Milanese designer Carlo Cattaneo creates the iconic, beloved logo of Cartiere Miliani Fabriano paper mills.

All Euro denominations are printed on Fabriano paper.
In the same year, Fedrigoni Group buys the Cartiere Miliani Fabriano to become the majority shareholder with 99.99% of the shares.

Fabriano paper celebrates its 750th birthday (1264-2014).

On the occasion of the XIII UNESCO Creative Cities Conference, the Fedrigoni Fabriano Foundation and Cartiere Fabriano present FABRIANO PAPER PAVILION A Wonderful Journey. A pavilion dedicated entirely to paper and its history located in the heart of the Historical Complex of the Cartiere Miliani Fabriano.