Fabriano
Encyclopedia
Fabriano is a town and comune
of Ancona province
in the Italian
region of the Marche
, at 325 m above sea-level. It lies in the Esino
valley 44 km (27 mi) upstream and SW of Jesi
; and 15 km ENE of Fossato di Vico
and 36 km east of Gubbio
(both in Umbria
). Its location on the main highway and rail line from Umbria to the Adriatic make it a mid-sized regional center in the Apennines
. Fabriano is the headquarters of the giant appliance maker Indesit
.
on an industrial scale, starting in the 13th century, and the town even today has a reputation for fine watermark
ed paper. This led to Fabriano's prosperity in the Late Middle Ages
and the Renaissance
, and was also one of the factors that led to the establishment of nearby Foligno
in Umbria as one of the earliest printing centers in Italy in the 15th century, from 1470 onwards.
(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's Gazetteer of Italy, by permission.)
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Ancona province
Province of Ancona
The Province of Ancona is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Ancona. The province has an area of 1940 km² and a 2006 population of 465,906 in 49 comuni , see Comunes of the Province of Ancona....
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region of the Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, at 325 m above sea-level. It lies in the Esino
Esino
The Esino is a river of c. 85 km in the Marche, central Italy. Its name could derive from the Latina Aesis, the ancient city of Iesi .-Path:...
valley 44 km (27 mi) upstream and SW of Jesi
Jesi
thumb|250px|Teatro Pergolesi.Iesi is a town and comune of the province of Ancona in the Marche, Italy.It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriatic Sea.-History:Iesi was one of the last towns of the Umbri...
; and 15 km ENE of Fossato di Vico
Fossato di Vico
Fossato di Vico is a town and comune of Umbria in the province of Perugia in Italy,, at 581 m above sea‑level on the middle slopes of Mount Mutali....
and 36 km east of Gubbio
Gubbio
Gubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia . It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. See also Mount Ingino Christmas Tree.-History:...
(both in Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
). Its location on the main highway and rail line from Umbria to the Adriatic make it a mid-sized regional center in the Apennines
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
. Fabriano is the headquarters of the giant appliance maker Indesit
Indesit
Indesit Company, an Italian multinational company based in Fabriano, Ancona province, Italy, a leading appliance manufacturer in Europe.- History :...
.
History
Fabriano appears to have been founded in the early Middle Ages by the inhabitants of a small Roman town 5 km (3 mi) south at Attiggio (Latin Attidium), of which some slight remains and inscriptions are extant. Fabriano itself was one of the earliest places in Europe to make high-quality paperPaper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
on an industrial scale, starting in the 13th century, and the town even today has a reputation for fine watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
ed paper. This led to Fabriano's prosperity in the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
and the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, and was also one of the factors that led to the establishment of nearby Foligno
Foligno
Foligno is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system...
in Umbria as one of the earliest printing centers in Italy in the 15th century, from 1470 onwards.
Main sights
Fabriano's wealth and commitment to the fine arts in the late medieval period have left it with many monuments.Churches
- The Cathedral of St. Venantius (14th century, rebuilt in 1607-1617). From the Baroque restoration are the stucco decoration of the interior and the canvasses by Gregorio PretiGregorio PretiGregorio Preti was an Italian painter. He was the brother of the Calabrian painter Mattia Preti. There is a fresco by him in the church of San Carlo ai Catinari at Rome.-References:...
, Salvator RosaSalvator RosaSalvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:...
, Giovan Francesco Guerrieri, Giuseppe PugliaGiuseppe PugliaGiuseppe Puglia was an Italian painter, born in Rome. He was also known as Giuseppe del Bastaro. According to Baglioni, flourished chiefly during the pontificate of Urban VIII...
and Orazio GentileschiOrazio GentileschiOrazio Lomi Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter, one of more important painters influenced by Caravaggio...
. To the original Cathedral belong the polygonal apse, the cloister and the St. Lawrence Chapel, with frescoes from of Allegretto di Nuzio (c. 1360). Also important are the frescoes with histories of the Holy Cross by the FolignateFolignoFoligno is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system...
Giovanni di Corraduccio (1415). - San Domenico
- Sts. Blaise and Romuald
- Sant'Onofrio
- St. Philip
- The Benedictine Abbey
- St. Augustine
- St. Catherine
- Collegiata of St. Nicholas
- Santa Maria del Piangato
- St. Benedict
- Oratory of the Gonfalone
Other buildings
- Palazzo del Podestà (1255) built in white stone from Vallemontagnana and subsequently modified several times. It has a characteristical bridge structure, a memory of the stream which once flew under it. The central arcade has frescoes from the 13th-14th centuries portraying warriors and an enigmatic Wheel of FortuneThe Wheel of FortuneThe Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae, is a concept in medieval and ancient philosophy referring to the capricious nature of Fate. The wheel belongs to the goddess Fortuna, who spins it at random, changing the positions of those on the wheel - some suffer great misfortune, others gain windfalls...
moved by a feminine figure. - Sturinalto Fountain (1285), designed by Jacopo di Grondolo, who was inspired by the Fontana Maggiore in Perugia.
- Communal Palace (c. 1350, rebuilt in 1690). It was the residence of the Chiavelli family, lords of the city until 1435. In the court is a lapidarium with fragments of buildings of the ancient Roman cities of Attidium (Attiggio), Tuficum (Borgo Tufico) and SentinumSentinumSentinum was an ancient town of currently located in the Marche region in Italy, lying a kilometre in the low ground at the east of the existing town of Sassoferrato. Its ruins were identified in 1890 and published by T...
(SassoferratoSassoferratoSassoferrato is a town and comune of the province of Ancona in the Marche region of Italy.-History:To the south of the town lie the ruins of the ancient Sentinum, on the Via Flaminia...
). - The former Hospital of St. Mary of Good Jesus (1456)
- Loggiato of St. Francis (c. 1450)
- Vasari Portico (1316)
- Museum of Paper
People
- Gentile da FabrianoGentile da FabrianoGentile da Fabriano was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany. His best known works are his Adoration of the Magi and the Flight into Egypt.-Biography:Gentile was born in or near Fabriano,...
, 15th century painter, whose most famous work, an oil painting of the Epiphany, is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. - Saint John dal BastoneSaint John dal BastoneSaint John dal Bastone or St John of the Staff, born Giovanni Bonello Botegoni on 24 March 1200 in Paterno, Fabriano, Italy, died 24 March 1290 in Fabriano, is a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church....
12th Century Silvestrine monk, born in Paterno.
Frazioni
Campodonico, Serradica, Cancelli, Melano, Marischio, San Donato, Bastia, Vallina, Cupo, Nebbiano, Collegiglioni, Attiggio, Collamato, Argignano, San Michele, Albacina, Borgo Tufico, Moscano, Poggio San Romualdo, San Giovanni, Castelletta, Vigne, S. Elia, Precicchie, Valleremita, Campodiegoli, Grotte, Marenella, Coccore, Cacciano.External links
- Official website
- Museo della Carta (Paper making museum)
- Fabriano Storica - history, art, culture, legend, curiosity
- Mapquest - Fabriano
- Bill Thayer's site
- Made in Fabriano Academy
(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's Gazetteer of Italy, by permission.)