Even back in the 14th century, Fabriano's paper mills were producing a million sheets of paper a year and it was here that watermarked paper was developed. Its paper is still used the world over for bank notes and quality art paper.
So proud is the town of its traditional industry that it has dedicated an interesting modern museum to it - you'll find the Museo della Carta in the former monastery of San Domenico to the south of the town on Largo Fratelli Spacca. The Paper and Watermark Museum traces the town's fascinating history of this important craft, with centuries-old machinery and well-preserved manuscripts
illustrating its prominence over the ages. Watermarks dated back to 15th and 16th century.
Towards the end of the 1200's the craftsmen in Fabriano used to countersign their production with watermarks. Today watermarks witness the perfection attained by the Fabriano paper mills in this sector, in particular for the production of value paper.