Ceramic

Art at your fingertips. This is how we might define the production of artistic pottery in Umbria, without forgetting the majolica and the poorer Terracotta (earthenware). Everyday objects – like jugs, plates, vases – even those used in chemists – to name but a few, become real frescoes. They represent an opportunity to display, within your own home, Raphaelesque designs, meticulously detailed decoration created by skilled hands, historical portraits, timeless landscapes, bright and sometimes-conflicting colours and others more subtle and harmonious.

But not only that… Getting to know our pottery, an art that is widely distributed over our land, is equal to retracing its fascinating history, travelling around Umbria and visiting the many cities in which it is produced. From Orvieto to Deruta, from Gubbio to Gualdo Tadino, from Città di Castello to Umbertide, from Perugia to Assisi …. you can admire the skills of our craftsmen, who may belong to different schools and currents, but are United by the same passion and dedication for working with clay, which, thanks to their work, exists in the form of unique pieces designed to last over time.

At the beginning, these productions were favoured by the area’s geographical morphology, due to the presence of good quality clay soils, river water and woods, providing a supply of timber for the furnaces. At present, however, we could say that pottery has become a choice, made by many artisans who aim to cultivate beauty, so much so that the renewal of this tradition has made vertical leaps, recreating the traditional basic forms with a modern touch.

The slow turning lathe, the hands that shape the clay or that use small brushes for decoration, people who, through their art, bring life to their shops. These are the best reasons for deciding to walk along the “path of pottery”, not only by watching the video shown here, but also in real life. For this reason, we are pointing out the best places to stop on this fascinating journey.