The Gran Tour of classical Italian pottery

This morning I was reading the news and a very familiar picture attracted my attention. It was a large ceramic centerpiece with scrolled handles, hand painted with a rich, Renaissance style design.
I know this work, it’s in our website. Why is it in the news???Centerpiece with scrolled handles "Julia Bella" by Alvaro Binaglia Centerpiece with scrolled handles "Julia Bella" by Alvaro Binaglia - detail

I read the article and I discovered that the picture of the centerpiece of our Deruta pottery artist, Alvaro Binaglia,  announced the grand opening of the exhibition “Grand Tour – An overview of classical Italian pottery” now on in Milan.

Grand Tour – An overview of classical Italian pottery

The exhibition is organized by the AiCC, Italian Ceramic Cities Association, that represents 34 cities with a “tradition in artistic pottery making”.

Just like Goethe, Stendhal and many other artists from the Northern regions of Europe undertook a traditional trip to Italy as part of their education, the curators of this exhibition guide the visitors in a most interesting tour of the many Italian regions that have contributed to the prolific history of Italian pottery.

From Sicily to Tuscany, from Piedmont to Umbria … each village contributes with its traditional pottery to the understanding of Italian culture: a puzzle of styles, glazes and designs that recalls the variety of our history, architecture and traditions.

Grand Tour – An overview of classical Italian pottery

Is Italian dinnerware dishwasher safe?

Is Italian dinnerware dishwasher safe?

Yes! It is safe to wash your Italian plates in the dishwasher.

We’d rather lay the emphasis on HOW to use the dishwasher with handmade Italian dinnerware in order to retain their beauty for decades.
Here are some useful tips:

  • use a fine china cycle, low heat and a good quality detergent
  • allow for enough space between your items to avoid accidental knocks during the dishwashing cycle
  • when you get your clean pottery from the dishware, do not place it on a surface that can be stained by water, such as stone or wood. The unglazed bottom will still be soaked with water!

Click to read more about Italian pottery use and care.

Enjoy!

Handmade Italian Dinner Plate - D&G Design

A new dinnerware collection from Deruta: Ceramiche Andrilia

It happened last year, on a windy, sunny day. We were strolling on the main square in Deruta – one of the most relevant ceramic villages in Italy – and Manuela pointed at a small pottery store, right next to Town Hall, that we had never noticed before. Sitting on a low stool, absorbed in the decoration of a dinner plate sat Marianna, the young owner of the place.

Ceramiche Andrilia - Pavone dinnerware collection Continue reading

Vietri pottery: a feast for the senses

May 17-June 28, 2015
Vietri – Italy

Clara Garesio is the past, present and future of Vietri pottery. The title of her new exhibition is meaningful: An Endless Spring. And, indeed, the joy of Southern colors, the pulse of the Amalfi Coast, the harmony of Italy inhabit her work.

The exhibition will open in a few days in the Museum of Ceramics in Villa Guariglia that hosts a breathtaking collection of Vietry pottery. A must see.

Clara Garesio - Demetra, 2015 Continue reading

A glazed terracotta dome – Santi Buglioni

The most beautiful things are the unexpected ones.

Last Sunday we decided for a trip to Bevagna (Umbria): a bit of sightseeing and some good food & wine to recharge the batteries after a busy week.
Bevagna is a small village not far from Perugia, with awesome buildings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, cobbled streets and peoples filling the main square after Sunday mass.

Strolling around, we stepped into Saint Frances Church and we found a jewel: a glazed terracotta dome made by Santi Buglioni.

We took some pictures with the mobile phone and, despite the poor light, we believe they manage to convey the beauty of this work that is, we were to discover, not very well known.

Santi Buglioni terracotta dome - St Frances Church in Bevagna

Santi Buglioni terracotta dome - St Frances Church in Bevagna

The author of the dome, Santi Buglioni, is an Italian sculptor who lived and worked in Florence in the 16th century, when glazed terracotta was a very popular decorative technique, thanks to the talents of the Della Robbia family.

Santi inherited the secrets of this technique and actually worked with Giovanni Della Robbia in the Ospedale del Ceppo, in Pistoia, one of his most famous works, where he sculpted the frieze that runs along the entire length of the loggia of the hospital, representing the Seven Acts of Mercy.

Santi Buglioni, detail of the frieze on the Loggia of the Ospedale del Ceppo, Pistoia - Credits "The red list" website

Santi Buglioni, detail of the frieze on the Loggia of the Ospedale del Ceppo, Pistoia – Credits “The red list” website

He was mostly active in Florence, where his glazed terracotta stille decorates the Biblioteca Laurenziana, Palazzo Vecchio and the Bargello.

By Tiziana Manzetti

Your favorite handmade Italian goods in 2014

Food for your thoughts, joy for your eyes… Our best selling Italian pottery and other goods. Strictly handmade. Our collection of hand painted Italian tiles is getting larger and larger, with many traditional designs from different Italian regions. Last year our Customers favorite tile was Tile 18 by Francesca Niccacci. Hand painted Italian Tile 18 by Francesca Niccacci Italian tile panels are an old time favorite, for their versatile uses and distinctive impact of home décor. Our best seller in 2014 was Lemons by Ghenos, a lovely Sicilian panel. Sicilian tile panel with lemons by Ghenos

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