Fabriano Carta è Cultura

When paper becomes culture

In Fabriano, in the heart of the province of Ancona and the hinterland of Marche, paper is not just a product: it is an eight-century-old identity. It is from this heritage that Fabriano Carta è Cultura was born, the festival promoted by the Municipality of Fabriano in its capacity as a UNESCO Creative City for craftsmanship and folk arts. For four days, usually in September, the entire historic center comes alive with events that intertwine music, theatre, literature, cinema, exhibitions, and conferences, all linked by the common thread of the binomial between paper and creativity.

A widespread celebration in the historic center

The festival is designed as a journey through the city's symbolic places: the Teatro Gentile, the Pinacoteca Civica Bruno Molajoli, the Museum of Paper and Watermarks, the Oratorio della Carità, the Cathedral of San Venanzio, the city squares, and libraries. Concerts, performances, book presentations, exhibitions, and workshops on handmade paper making accompany the public in discovering a living tradition that continues to renew itself in these very spaces.

The dialogue of Creative Cities

A distinctive element of the event is the Forum of UNESCO Creative Cities, the annual meeting that brings together the Italian cities of the creative network in Fabriano to discuss the role of culture in the sustainable development of territories. In recent editions, the debate has addressed highly topical issues, such as the relationship between culture and artificial intelligence, intertwining international reflection with the local and identity dimension.

Paper, art, and memory

Alongside the meetings, the festival showcases creativity in all its forms: photographic and art exhibitions, installations, film screenings, opera galas, and music evenings at the Teatro Gentile, urban trekking along the paper heritage routes, and demonstrations of ancient production techniques. Fabriano Carta è Cultura has thus become an event that tells how an artisanal vocation can transform into a cultural engine, a tourist attraction, and an opportunity for participation for the entire community.