Fabriano is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of Ancona province in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region of the

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

, at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. It lies in the

Esino The Esino (; ) is a river in the Marche region of central Italy. Geography The source of the river is east of Monte Penna, in the province of Macerata, near the border with the province of Ancona. The river flows east past Esanatoglia and curve ...

valley upstream and southwest of

Jesi Jesi () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Ancona, in the Italian region of Marche. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river, before its mouth on the Adria ...

; and east-northeast of

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. It lies just off the SS 3 highway, the successor to the ancient Roman Via Flaminia, ...

and east of

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. History Prehistory The ol ...

(both in

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

). Its location on the main highway and rail line from Umbria to the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

make it a mid-sized regional center in the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

. Fabriano is the headquarters of the giant appliance maker

Indesit Indesit Company (; ) is an Italian company based in Fabriano, Ancona. It is one of the leading European manufacturers and distributors of major domestic appliances (washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, fridges, freezers, cookers, hoods, oven ...

(partly owned by

Whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

). Fabriano, with Roma, Parma, Torino and Carrara, is an Italian

creative city Creative City (aka Fujairah Creative City – FCC) is a media free zone government-owned company in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Overview FCC was launched by Fujairah Media as an alternative to Dubai Media City, aims to attract regional ...

(UNESCO). The town is in the category ''Folk Arts'' and is widely-known for its production of handmade

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

History

Fabriano appears to have been founded in the early Middle Ages by the inhabitants of a small Roman town south at Attiggio (Latin ''Attidium''), of which some slight remains and inscriptions are extant. In 1276, Fabriano became one of the earliest places in Europe to produce

. Since the 13th century and even today, the town has a reputation for fine

watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations i ...

ed paper. This led to Fabriano's prosperity in the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

and the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, and was also one of the factors that led to the establishment of nearby

Foligno Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...

in Umbria as one of the earliest printing centers in Italy in the 15th century, from 1470 onwards.

Geography

The municipality borders with Cerreto d'Esi,

Costacciaro Costacciaro is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 40 km northeast of Perugia. It is a medieval burgh, which, after the rule of Perugia and Gubbio, became part of the Papal States ...

( PG), Esanatoglia ( MC),

Fiuminata Fiuminata is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. The municipal seat is in the '' frazione'' of Massa. Fiuminata borders the ...

(MC),

(PG), Genga,

Gualdo Tadino Gualdo Tadino (Latin: ''Tadinum'') is an ancient town of Italy, in the province of Perugia in northeastern Umbria, on the lower flanks of Monte Penna, a mountain of the Apennines. It is NE of Perugia. History Gualdo has a long history and was o ...

(PG),

Matelica Matelica is a (municipality) of the Province of Macerata in the Italian region of Marche. Located about southwest of Ancona and west of Macerata, it extends over an area of . Geography Matelica lies in an ample valley where the Braccano ...

(MC), Nocera Umbra (PG), Poggio San Vicino (MC),

Sassoferrato Sassoferrato is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in the Marche region of central-eastern Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History Between Sassoferrato and Arcevia was t ...

, Serra San Quirico and Sigillo (PG).

''Frazioni''

The hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'') of Fabriano are: Albacina, Argignano, Attiggio, Bassano, Bastia, Belvedere, Borgo Tufico, Cacciano, Ca' Maiano, Campodiegoli, Campodonico, Cancelli, Cantia, Castelletta, Ceresola, Ciaramella, Coccore, Collamato, Collegiglioni, Colle Paganello, Cupo, Fontanaldo, Grotte, Marena, Marenella, Marischio, Melano, Moscano, Nebbiano, Paterno, Poggio San Romualdo, Rufano beach, Precicchie, Rocchetta, Rucce, San Donato, San Giovanni, San Michele, San Pietro, Sant'Elia, Serradica, Valgiubbola, Vallemontagnana, Valleremita, Vallina, Varano, Viacce, Vigne.

Main sights

Fabriano's wealth and commitment to the fine arts in the late medieval period have left it with many monuments.

Churches

* Fabriano Cathedral, dedicated to San Venanzio ( Saint Venantius) (14th century, rebuilt in 1607–17). From the Baroque restoration are the stucco decoration of the interior and the canvasses by Gregorio Preti,

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 – March 15, 1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the ...

, Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri, Giuseppe Puglia and

Orazio Gentileschi Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (; 1563 – 7 February 1639) was an Italian painter. Born in Tuscany, he began his career in Rome, painting in a Mannerist style, much of his work consisting of painting the figures within the decorative schemes of other ...

. To the original Cathedral belong the polygonal apse, the cloister and the St Lawrence Chapel with frescoes by Allegretto di Nuzio (c. 1360). Also important are the frescoes with ''Stories of the True Cross'' by the Folignate painter Giovanni di Corraduccio (1415). * San Filippo Neri - Church in 14th century attached to hospital, converted to oratory of the Philippines in 1628 *San Domenico * Santi Biagio e Romualdo * Sant'Onofrio - Church rebuilt in 1727 *The Benedictine Abbey *St Augustine * Santa Caterina da Siena - Present church erected 1508 *Collegiata of St. Nicholas *Santa Maria del Piangato *St Benedict *Oratory of the GonfaloneGuida, page 154.

Other buildings

*''Palazzo del Podestà'' (1255) built in white stone from Vallemontagnana and subsequently modified several times. It has a distinctive bridge structure, a memory of the stream which once flowed under it. The central arcade has frescoes from the 13th-14th centuries portraying warriors, and an enigmatic Wheel of Fortune 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 courtyard is a ''lapidarium'' with fragments of buildings of the ancient Roman cities of ''Attidium'' ( Attiggio), ''Tuficum'' ( Borgo Tufico) and '' Sentinum'' (

). * Pinacoteca Civica Bruno Malajoli displayed in the former Hospital (Spedale di Santa Maria del Buon Gesù) - The hospital was first built in 1456. The art collection of the Pinacoteca were moved here in 1994. The collection contains works by Rainaldetto di Ranuccio of Spoleto, Master of San Agostino, Master of San Emiliano, Master of the Magi ( Fra Giovanni di Bartolomeo), Maestro dei Beati Becchetti, Puccio di Simone,

Allegretto Nuzi Allegretto Nuzi or ''Allegretto di Nuzio'' (1315–1373) was an Italian painter, active in a Gothic style mainly around Fabriano, in the Province of Ancona. Biography Nuzi was probably trained in Fabriano Fabriano is a town and ''comune'' of A ...

, Francescuccio di Cecco Ghissi, Master of Fossato, Master of San Verecondo, Ottaviano Nelli, Master of Staffolo, Antonio da Fabriano, Bicci di Lorenzo,

Neri di Bicci Neri di Bicci (1419–1491) was an Italian painter active in his native Florence. A prolific painter of mainly religious themes, he studied under his father, Bicci di Lorenzo, who had in turn studied under his father, Lorenzo di Bicci. The three ...

; Bernardino di Mariotto, Filippo da Verona, Venanzio da Camerino and Piergentile da Matelica, Simone de Magistris, Domiziano Domiziani, Girolamo or Giacomo Nardini, Andrea Boscoli,

, Ambrogio Monaco,

Francesco Podesti Francesco Podesti (21 March 1800 – 10 February 1895) was an Italian painter, active in a Romantic style. Together with Francesco Hayez and Giuseppe Bezzuoli, he is considered one of the greatest Italian painters of the first half of the 19th c ...

, and

Gentile da Fabriano Gentile da Fabriano ( – 1427) was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic pictorial style. He worked in various places in central Italy, mostly in Tuscany. His best-known works are his '' Adoration of the ...

. *Loggiato of St. Francis (c. 1450) *Vasari Portico (1316) * Paper and Watermark Museum Fabriano * Villa Marchese del Grillo

Notable people

Totila Totila, original name Baduila (died 1 July 552), was the penultimate King of the Ostrogoths, reigning from 541 to 552 AD. A skilled military and political leader, Totila reversed the tide of the Gothic War (535–554), Gothic War, recovering b ...

, penultimate king of the Ostrogoths, suffered his defeat at Taginae near Fabriano on 1 July 552 AD. *

, 15th-century painter, whose most famous work, an oil painting of the Epiphany, is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. * Saint John dal Bastone 12th-century Silvestrine monk, born in Paterno. * Francesco Stelluti, co-founder of the

Accademia dei Lincei The (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed"), anglicised as the Lincean Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy. Founded in ...

, born in Fabriano in 1577 * Jessica Rizzo (born 1965), pornographic actress and businesswoman.

References

*''(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's Gazetteer of Italy, by permission.)''

External links

Fabriano official websiteFabriano Storica - history, art, culture, legend, curiosityMade in Fabriano Academy