Museo della Ceramica in Montelupo

As part of my recent trip to Italy to attend the 83rd Florence International Artisan fair, our Meet The Artisans group participated in a cultural excursion to the Museo della Ceramica in the town of Montelupo.

The town is a quintessential Tuscan countryside of a local community, about twenty five minutes from the city center of Florence.

The center of town mainly consists of about three streets of local shops, restaurants, and flats.

Public art is prevalent even in this small town.

The Italians are quite the artisans.

The locals are very friendly too. This beautiful dog took a liking to my friend and fellow group participant, interior designer Kim Lewis from Austin, Texas.

So much prettiness everywhere you look!

The man in the window above that door watching us, the tourists, taking photos of his front door.

Around the corner, sheds insight to daily life.

Exterior facades are colorful.

Decorative too: Ceramic tiles for address numbers and colorful potted plants.

After a brief walk through town we made our way to the ceramics museum to begin our tour. This is the front of the museum entrance.

The museum features a collection of ceramic dishes and bowls that were found in local wells from centuries past. Found were fragments and broken pieces that were discarded due to being unsalable.

The dishware depicts the Tuscan colors.

Motifs are a reflection of the various eras. The simpler ones are at a less prosperous time.

Others reflect life in the time they were made.

The museum consists of multiple displaying ceramics from various periods.

Thank you to PromoFirenze and The Florence Chamber of Commerce for coordinating this excursion for us. #MeetTheArtisans