HELLO ITALY

Ceramics

Umbria, which is still partly connected to the most traditional agricultural activities, in parallel with the latter preserves types of very ancient handicrafts, some of which have continued without interruption over the course of the centuries. One of these is ceramics, which, of all the traditional artisan activities, is the one that, in Umbria, has reached the highest levels of technical and artistic expression. Ceramic production, both the traditionally artisan output and the type assisted by mass-production systems, is principally concentrated in the areas of Deruta, Gubbio and Gualdo Tadino. Without forgetting Orvieto, Todi, Città di Castello, Umbertide, Perugia and Assisi. Pottery from Deruta, which is famous for the production of vases, plates and ornamental objects, is characterised by splendid white glazes and the variety of decorations."Alla borrina" maiolica artefacts, with their fantastic figures, are produced alongside the more traditional pieces using three colours: blue, orange and green. The production of votive tiles preserved in the Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Bagni is of great historical value.

Gubbio, which was made famous in the 16th century by Giorgio Andreoli, the inventor of "reverberation" or "lustre" (the art of embellishing ceramics with special reflections of light), is still home to an almost exclusively artisan production.

The numerous workshops along the town's streets are full of objects made entirely by hand, which show the characteristic floral and polychrome decorations that in recent years have replaced the traditional lustreware.

Not far away is Gualdo Tadino, which is famous for its kilns and the manufacture on the wheel of plates and vases and has always specialised in the production of crockery and tiles. Recently, in the Gubbio and Gualdo areas, the production of "bucchero" vases and jugs has been rediscovered. This black ceramicware of Etruscan origin is famous for its lightness.

Places to visit: Regional Ceramics Museum, Deruta (Perugia) Contemporary Ceramics Museum, Gualdo Tadino (Perugia).