The Museum of the Wool Trade (Museo dell’Arte della Lana) was officially inaugurated on October 2, 2010 in Stia at the wool mill’s piazza and main building which were completely renovated after several decades of being abandoned. This new museum space was made available and financed by the Luigi and Simonetta Lombard Foundation which is the owner of the entire landmark grounds. All work was directed and designed by the Comes srl architectural and engineering firm.

Present in Casentino since the 14th century, textile manufacture consolidated as of the first half of the 19th century with the passage from handmade to industrial production. The town of Stia is indeed the location of a large factory, restructured in 1838 near the Staggia stream, which combined the production process consisting of spinning, weaving, fulling and carding. The first hydraulic-powered machines, produced in England and also present in the factories of Prato and Pisa, were installed in 1844.

Becoming property of Adamo Ricci, the Wool Mill presented its products at the Industrial Exhibition of Arezzo in 1882. In 1888, the complex was outfitted with new hydraulic and steam-powered equipment. The elegant shapes of the Wool Mill, still visible today, date to the works that transformed its structure between 1898 and 1909. A tall brick chimney stands isolated in the courtyard.

The presence of the Wool Mill in this area of Casentino led to the construction of new living quarters for workers, which in the second half of the 19th century were outfitted with several services such as an elementary school, a music school and a Society of Mutual Aid (founded between 1837 and 1838). At the end of the 19th century, the factory was supplied with electric lighting, which shortly thereafter was extended to the entire town. With its more than 500 employees and a production of more than 700,000 metres of fabric per year, the factory represented the community’s principal economic source in these years. Following a prolonged period of difficulties, activity ceased in 1979. In the following years the documents, fabric samples, historical photographs and models of articles of clothing were conserved in the Luigi Lombard Museum, since 1996 hosted in the original headquarters of the factory.

The main building of the wool mill with its original clock that kept track of the working shifts at the mill mounted on its façade now hosts the museum’s abundant exhibition space. The museum takes you from the early history of weaving up to modern techniques of textile making, obviously concentrating on the production of the Casentino wool fabric.

There is a hands-on area where the visitor can touch and feel both the traditional raw materials used for textiles such as wool, silk, cotton, linen and hemp, as well as the final various types of fabric. The details of the complex production process is described in both English and Italian on the educational panels located through out the museum. The most important part of the exhibition is dedicated to the centuries-old history of the wool trade and the Casentino area. This display area has many accurately restored historic machinery. One of the more interesting ones, for example, is called Ratinatrice [friezing machine]. This machine was introduced to the wool trade industry at the end of the 19th century and was used to “frieze” the wool which creates the characteristic curl or nap of the Casentino wool fabric.

The society which encompassed the wool industry in Stia for decades is brought back to life thanks to the section dedicated to the original documents, sample fabric patterns, attendance records and incident logs. The importance of the wool produced in Stia is revealed through these precious papers. For example, in the early 1900s, Stia held the primary role in Italy of providing the military coats made especially for the Scuola Ufficiali della Nunziatella.

At the end of the visit, the museum also has a large area dedicated to educational workshops where it is possible to participate in a series of activities allowing one to better understand the differences of textile fibers, as well as the main, basic steps necessary to transform the raw wool into a thread and eventually into a woven cloth.