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The Art of Wool Museum: Industrial Archaeology and Textile Traditions in Ciociaria
From the 16th to the 19th century Arpino was one of the most important wool centres in the Papal States, with manufacturers supplying Rome and the broader European market. The Art of Wool Museum, which opened in 2003, documents this industrial history through a display of original machinery, fabric samples and business archives. The venue is in the historic centre, in a restored building that housed one of the last artisan workshops, active until the 1960s.
The Collections
The exhibition route reconstructs the entire production chain: carding, spinning, weaving, dyeing. There are 19th-century mechanical looms still in working order, hand cards, bobbins, shuttles, sample books of raw wools and yarns dyed with natural colours. A section is dedicated to textile finishing tools: teasel frames, shearing machines, presses. Display panels document women's work in the factories and workers' conditions in the 19th and 20th centuries. The archive preserves production registers, commercial catalogues and correspondence with clients across Europe.
Arpino and the Textile Tradition
Arpino wool was prized for its quality and durability. The manufacturers worked with local wools from Apennine transhumance and imported fine wools. The decline began in the post-war period with the arrival of synthetic fibres and industrial competition. The museum bears witness to an economy that shaped the identity of Ciociaria for centuries. Arpino is located 100 km from Rome, in the upper Liri Valley, and is also the birthplace of Cicero and Gaius Marius.
