Shopping for pottery.

Sheridan, that depends entirely on which areas of Italy you will be visiting. Obviously they can be bought just about anywhere, but Perugia (Umbria), Grotteglie (Puglia) and Caltagirone and San Stefano di Canastra (both in Sicily) are all famous for their ceramics and terracotta. I saw table tops in Florence which were far more expensive than those in Sicily. More tourists to 'trap'. Whatever and where-ever you buy, do it late in the trip as it is heavy stuff to carry around on trains/buses etc.

Faenza east of Bologna is a traditonal pottery center and had great stuff.

If you're going to Cinque Terre there's a wonderful little pottery shop in Manarola.

I saved their business card from when I purchase pottery a couple years ago while in Cinque Terre.
The card reads:

La Bottega Dell'Artigiano Di Bianchetto Paolo
Hand Made and Hand Painted Ceramic Material
Chiuso il Martedi
Via Birolli, 54 Manarola Cinque Terre Tel. 0347.13.85.234

San Stefano di Camastra in Siciy is excellent. they will ship larger items to your home. This, however, may be out of your way. I agree with previous posts that pottery in Florence seems overpriced.

the Umbrian towns of Deruta and Gubbio are famous for their hand-painted ceramics, but as others have mentioned, you will find pottery in many other towns in other regions. The town of Ravello on the Amalfi coast had some shops with lots of selection.

I bought some lovely pieces in Siena and Florence. Just small items I could carry home. Maybe the prices were higher than they would have been in other towns but I just loved the little dishes and didn't see anything similar on the rest of my trip. In each of the shops I was in I was told that they would ship items home for you. I think it's fairly standard practice just the cost is something you'll nbeed to factor in.

Shop in the smaller hilltop towns, not in Florence or Rome for ceramics.

Orvieto has some wonderful shops, as does Assisi. Deruta is known for it's ceramics and even has an "outlet, factory" store. Ravello has a family owned store in 2 locations, and their ceramics are beautiful.

Just be selective, really look at the quality of work, there is a difference. Expect to pay more for better work, more detail, different colors. you can easily purchase Italian ceramics here in the US....just look at ebay! But - to bring home a piece or two that you hand selected...there is nothing better than that.

I buy one or two pieces on each trip, and they adorn my kitchen counter tops as I add to my collection each trip.

I've never had anything shipped, just because it's so expensive, and I worry about it arriving in one piece. I only buy what I can hand carry home. Your budget might be more than mine, so if you choose, do have the store ship it for you.

Many thanks to all of you for your wonderful sugestions! I will be making many stops!

Sheridan

Orvieto does have some nice pottery shops, and I found a couple of nice ones in Cortona also.

Sheridan, I would add one caution if you buy ceramics (or anything else for that matter) and have it shipped home. We bought a lovely alabaster bowl in Volterra and arranged to have it shipped home. The shipping wasn't cheap, but we wanted to make sure it got home OK and it was too heavy and awkward to carry. It actually arrived home before we did, but we were dismayed when we got our visa bill to see that Visa had charged us a fee for prepaying the customs due on the bowl (in addition to the customs). We enjoy the bowl but it ended up costing a total of more than twice the price after all the shipping and fees.

Another vote for Orvieto....we found a place just off the main piazza that offered DHL shipping for free. The pieces arrived just a few days after we got home and were beautifully packed - no breakage!

Orvieto and Florence are good places for ceramics. But, beware, they are very expensive!!! I bought a hand painted olive oil and vinegar bottle that sits in a ceramic holder and I paid almost 100 dollars. I also bought a wine caraf and paid about 80 dollars.