Fabulous Fabriano Part VI

Our trip to Fabriano, Italy, continues...

(Here are the links to past posts, just in case you are just joining this journey:  Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V)

After writing Part V of our Paper Pilgrimage to Fabriano, Italy, I sent a few clarifying questions to our museum tour guide, Claudia.  She graciously provided the following information:

Hydraulic hammer mill, Fabriano Paper and Watermark Museum

 The hydraulic hammer mill (pictured above) is a machine of the thirteenth century.  It was always moved by the water of the river, not electric current as this one is today.

Fabriano Paper and Watermark Museum

The invention of the animal gelatin coating for paper dates back to the thirteenth century.  In the medieval time, only a copper basin was used to hold the [coating] liquid (pictured above).
Today, in the modern flat table machine, there is a part called 'Size-press' where the sheet is coated.
Today chemical substances, like PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), are used to coat the paper in the modern factory.

Thank you, Claudia!

This map, framed and hanging on the museum wall, shows the fascinating history of paper at a glance:

Timeline marking the invention and history of paper making - Poster at the
Fabriano Paper and Watermark Museum, Italy

After our personal tour that day, Claudia suggested that we walk upstairs to view more of the museum.  The facility was closing in just a few minutes for the lunch hours, but we could "take a look around" she said.  

We were pleasantly surprised to see people milling around, taking in the sights.  Where they were before, we could not imagine.  

There were long hallways with rooms on either side.   Each room held treasures all their own...

Ancient screens with intricate watermarks...

And displays of the tools and wire used to make them...

This bicycle, once used to collect rags for paper making, was propped up in a hallway.

We quickly realized that there were too many details and much too much information to take in the few remaining minutes before closing time.  We decided to scan the hallways and a few of the rooms as we followed the square layout of the second floor.  

Along one section were doors just my size.

This looks like a standard sized door, doesn't it?

Until you consider that I am all of five foot tall.  I felt so at home.

We decided to have a bit of lunch and return afterward to shop and tour a bit more.  

With my friend Dorian's suggestion in mind to leave a gift behind, we stopped by the car to pick up my tangling supplies so that I could make something for Claudia during our lunch break.

To be continued...