On the outskirts of modern Toscolano Maderno, a small street leads into a narrow luscious valley named ‘The Valley of Paper’ where the once abundant Toscolano river flows, receiving its waters from the the Alpine sub-ranges of the Garda Mountains. Since the dam upriver was built, the river has dwindled into a brook
follow the path through the valley and through several tunnels, and you will reach one of the biggest disused mills, now renovated and converted into the Paper Mill Museum (Museo della Carta di Toscolano Moderno). Along the way, signs tell the story of the valley, and you can see the ruins of historic paper mills, workers' houses and fourteenth-century machinery. The signs also privide information on the geology and the varied foliage of the valley.
Paper production began in Toscolano during the fourteenth century when the first mill was erected. During the fifteenth century, ten more paper mills were built here, and together became the leading paper manufacturer of the Venetian Republic. Toscolano Paper became sought after in Vienna, Moscow and Constantinople. The exceptional quality and quantities of Toscolano paper spurred the development of Venice as the European center of printing and bookmaking.
The western European paper making process began with sorting and cutting up discarded clothes made from linen, cotton or hemp . The shredded rags were immersed in stone vats full of water with quicklime to soak and macerate the fibers.
The soaked rags were placed in special wooden vats where they were beaten by a set of wooden hammers driven by an external water wheel and transformed into a fine white pulp.
The rag pulp was then made into sheets of white paper by a master paper maker with custom-made rectangular moulds and a special couching table.
The sheets were pressed to remove excess water,
Then the sheets of paper were hung to dry on a special drying rack.
Once the sheets were dry, they were immersed in animal glue for "sizing" to prevent the absorption of too much ink
The sheets were then flattened in the smoothing room.
Watermarks were an early form of trademark of a brand or logo often featuring a symbol or initials representing the paper mill or papermaker. Watermarks were first introduced in Fabriano Italy in the thirteenth century.
Over the course of the nineteenth century, continuous paper machinery was introduced (including 5 hollander beaters, and 2 steam boilers) which dramatically changed the paper making process
