Montelupo pottery

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Montelupo Museum of Ceramics – Spring Program

The Museum of Ceramics is offering Italian ceramics lovers the chance to learn more about Montelupo pottery through a number of guided visits.

On April 10th, in the morning, an experienced guide will introduce visitors to the Museum’s collection of apothecary jars and other objects made for old pharmacies.

Montelupo apothecary pottery was an important element in the proliferation of pharmacies in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany during the Renaissance. Placed in the monasteries’ infirmaries at first, then popular as private businesses, the pharmacies flourished also thanks to the availability of safe storage vessels for the herbs.

Ceramic was an excellent material because it can hold and preserve both liquids and dried herbs and it’s easy to clean. The apothecary jars and vases from Montelupo had an additional benefit: they impressed the customers with their beauty and perfectly fit the monumental style of the rooms that were open to the public.

Soon after the visit to the Musem, the visitors will go to Florence to visit one of the oldest pharmacies in the world: Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella. Established by the Dominican fathers shortly after 1221, the pharmacy was meant to prepare and store medications, balms and creams for the monastery’s little infirmary. In 1612 the Dominicans were granted permission to open their little store to the public. Visiting the Farmacia is per se a great opportunity. Even more so, if the focus is on its awesome collection of antique apothecary pottery.

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Goodbye, Mr Dolfi

We were headed to Tuscan pottery - ND Dolfi showroom in Montelupo (Firenze)Montelupo on our first scouting trip for our website when we saw on the right side of the road a beautiful old stone house and a signpost – ceramica ND Dolfi.
Manuela and I exchanged glances and one minute after we entered the gate of this astounding property.

Scattered across the lawn far from the driveway some ceramic sculptures welcomed the visitor.

A nice lady met us and agreed to open the show room. The beauty of the works we saw was a perfect match with the place: an old limonaia or orangery, a stone building were citrus trees used to be wintered. She told us that her husband Silvano was a pottery artist, now retired, and her daughters, Natalia and Daria, had taken over the family business.

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International Ceramic Festival in Montelupo – Tuscany

June 21-29, 2008
Montelupo – Italy

Tuscan ceramics - International Ceramic Festival in MontelupoMontelupo is a charming Medieval city built on a hill, a few miles east of Florence.
That was about it, until a team of archeologists discovered an old well full of kiln shards in 1973.

Tuscan ceramics - Pozzo dei Lavatoi - MontelupoThe unexpected discovery shed new light on the role of Montelupo in the history of Tuscan ceramics. It’s now a well-established fact that the town was one of the most important ceramic centers in Italy during the Renaissance and the production area of all the Florentine pottery.

The pride of such a splendid heritage revived the art of pottery making and had a positive impact on the local economic development.
Today Montelupo is a flourishing town, rich with historical buildings, talented potters and an awesome Museum of Ceramics.

To celebrate the glory of the past and today’s pottery art and craft an International Ceramic Festival is organized every year in the streets of the old historic district of Montelupo.

In a few weeks, from June 21st, performances, activities, art demos, exhibitions and young artists’ installations will definitely change the look of the town.

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