The paper mill in Maina Inferiore

The central part of the Paper Mill Valley, known as “Maina” is divided into three main areas: “Inferiore” (meaning “lower”part) “di Mezzo” (meaning the part “in the middle”) and “Superiore”(“upper” part). The paper museum is located in the heart of the ancient paper mill in Maina Inferiore, which oldest core dates back to the 15th and 16th century. Engravings and pictures illustrate how the building structure must have looked like between the 18th and the 19th centuries. In the upper floors, walls had special wide rectangular openings provided with wooden grills to let the sheet of paper drying out. Important structural changes were then necessary and the modernisation became unavoidable so a continuous papermaking machine was here installed (the first one appeared already in the year 1875 in Maina Superiore). By the end of the 19th century among the machines in the Paper Mill Valley there were 5 Hollander beaters, a continuous papermaking machine, 2 steam boilers and a dynamo one. The landscape of the valley changed deeply and still today near the cypresses in Maina Inferiore appears a 33 meters high (108 feet) smokestack, the only one undamaged. The fact that the closure of the activity in Maina Inferiore came later in time, gave the possibility to the retired paper workers to keep track of their memories, and nowadays this place offers its visitors  a unique tour of the centuries-old history art of papermaking and the steps involved while making every sheet of paper by hand.

Project History

Between the years 2000 and 2007 the architectural renovation of Maina Inferiore aimed at creating a high quality handmade papermaking place, especially focused on watermarked handmade paper. The renovation hasn’t been carried out only by aiming at the conservation of an historical important paper mill, which played a big role in the valley development. The architectural complex was functionally rebuilt to becoming the core of different activities tied together by the same common thread: the fascinating world of papermaking. From 2007 onwards Maina Inferiore is home to the Paper Museum, an exhibition space where visitors learn about the centuries-old history art of papermaking in the area of Toscolano Maderno.

The museum structure was build inside the authentic ancient paper mill to let the visitors start a fascinating journey discovering the main stages in the development of papermaking, from its origin up until the 20th century. First the oldest part opens up to visitors, and the discover of every different steps about the centuries-old history art of papermaking. The raw materials utilized to make paper were rags (from linen, cotton or hemp fabrics). They were then sorted out and cut. The shredded rags were immerse in stone vats full of water and quicklime to soak and left to macerate. These stone vats are still to be seen in the museum. After soaking, the rags were placed into special wooden vats where they were beaten by a set of hammers driven by an external water wheel and transformed into a fine white pulp. The rag pulp was then transformed into a sheet of paper by the master paper maker by using a special rectangular mould.

After being pressed to remove di excess water, the sheets were hung to dry one by one in a vast drying area in the upper floors. Finally they were immersed into animal glue in order to prevent them from absorbing too much ink and ready to be flattened in the smoothing room. There is also a special industrial archaeology room where you can admire remains found during the excavation works carried out by archaeologists in the Paper Valley. A brand new interactive table will let you experience the daily life in an old paper mill. A room is dedicated to the story of the typographers Paganini where you can admire rare and precious volumes, printed in Toscolano the first half of 16th Century.