Ceramics

Orvieto has authentic and beautiful ceramics. Many ceramic stores to choose from.

Deruta is very well known in Umbria, there are lots of manufacturers there. But what type of ceramics are you looking for? I recently found a lovely ceramics producer who hand paints her plates and bowls in the small town of Pienza in Tuscany. If you want, I can research her name. We ordered a few things in the coulours which suited us, and she mailed the things per post, and they arrived in good order!

Montelupo Fiorentino, a village just west of Florence, is a famous old ceramics center. It has lots of artisans and even a ceramics museum. We also found some beautiful ceramics in Todi. You won't have any trouble finding authentic ceramics in Umbria and Tuscany; your problem will be deciding which ones to buy.

Each town has a slightly different style. Gubbio has beautiful ceramics, with some colors and designs from the medieval period and some very modern.

Deruta, Orvieto, Ravello. Been to all 3 places, and bought in all 3. Also found a great shop in Assisi on the main square. In Deruta, go to the OLD town, the hill top, not in the factories below if you want original (read that as more expensive, but worth it) pieces. There were 2 great stores in Ravello - I bought some wonderful canisters there. And in Orvieto, there is one store that (sorry, can't remember the name, but the bottom of my ceramics say "Bellocci" and these are fairly unique pieces, and my favorites) Once you are there and start to look around, feel the pieces, pick them up and look closely at the painting, you will know which are the better items. All depends on your pocket and how much you are willing to spend. I get 1-2 pieces each trip when I find something I'm totally in love with. I hand carry home on the plane, don't pack at all, I'm overly protective and want it home in one piece! I use all the items I've bought, a cookie jar, bowls, olive oil jar and those canisters.... the colors are fantastic and add to the look of my cucina!

I went to DeRuta and found several shops that had great ceramics. We got to see the artists painting the pieces and it was pretty amazing. They are REAL artists! All the shops would ship the purchases back to the US for us. A couple of us in my group had our goods all put in the same pkg and shipped to one person's home. Everything arrived in great shape and we didn't have to
carry the stuff home.

Orvieto and San Gimignano are my wife's favorites. They are NOT cheap, however, so be warned!