WHAZHOT · MADE IN FLO' · ONLY IN FLO' · DISCOUNT COUPONS
sections
Booking
.
culture
.
Pots old and new Ceramics at Montelupo
[APT Firenze]
Montelupo, the city of ceramics, invites tourists to visit its Archaeology and Ceramics Museum and to take part in the ceramics workshops run by master potters. Montelupo Fiorentino is of mediaeval origins: probably founded as a military fortress to support the larger fortified hamlet of Capraia, which stands opposite it on the other bank of the Arno. Montelupo was once a strategic point for access to the valley of Florence.The production of archaic majolica, featuring the first glaze-covered artefacts, began in the second half of the thirteenth century, but Montelupo’s golden age can be approximately identified in the years between 1450 and 1530. It was above all in this period that the decorative motifs and the pigments characteristic of the city’s production were elaborated and perfected; among these we can mention the zaffera, that is a decoration centred on a blue pigment based on cobalt oxide and lead oxide, and Montelupo red, a very brilliant blood-red pigment, generally applied at the moment of the third firing (hence the definition of the process as ‘a terzo fuoco’), as well as the ‘arlecchini’, decorations centred on single figures, mostly squires and knights, typical of the first half of the seventeenth century.
In these years the majolica of Montelupo reached its greatest commercial expansion, becoming widely diffused both in the Mediterranean basin and along the Atlantic trade routes. Around the mid sixteenth century the ceramic production of Montelupo underwent an initial slump, which was exacerbated around the end of the century by the general economic crisis in Europe, and which resulted, in the second half of the seventeenth century, in a dramatic regression of production which led to the disappearance of the major kilns. It was not until the end of the nineteenth and the early years of the twentieth century that Montelupo was again able to devote itself to majolica production, with renewed success.
Today, Montelupo Fiorentino is one of the major ceramic centres in Italy, dedicated to the production ot raw materials and artistic majolica for exportation, with over 120 companies employing a total of 1300 persons. There are also numerous decoration workshops, and some of the most famous artist decorators of Italian ceramics work in Montelupo.
The Archaeology and Ceramics Museum of Montelupo Fiorentino, inaugurated in 1983, is located inside the ancient Palazzo del Podestà.
The Museum displays the numerous archaeological finds of the territory from prehistory up to the end of the Middle Ages, and the locally-made ceramics discovered in the urban excavations over 3000 precious pieces which have been brought to light and subsequently restored to their ancient splendour. Arranged over a display space of more than 800 square metres on three floors, the Museum also boasts a delightful garden and an outdoor room dedicated to the antique ceramics of the Mediterranean and Italian area. As well as all this, there is an ancient kiln, located within the museum area, historic evidence of the pre-industrial presence of ceramics production in the territory of Montelupo.
Here it is possible to visit the areas of a typical factory: from the potting area to that of decoration, and the old wood-fired ovens. A workshop for clay modelling and ceramic working welcomes visitors who want to try their hand at this ancient craft.
Supervised by the Museum staff, visitors can experiment the techniques for moulding, decorating and glazing pottery, in line with the methods of the ancient master craftsmen. The staff includes true masters of the ceramic art, the potters, who as well as providing demonstrations of their art also offer the visitors a professional, albeit synthetic, approach to the techniques of the process.
The Chamber of Commerce, the Agency for Tourism and the Florence Provincial Authoritv, in collaboration with the Montelupo Fiorentino Town Council, now offer tourists the chance for a visit to the Archaeology and Ceramics Museum of Montelupo, guided by the Museum staff. The tour of the Museum is followed by a ceramics workshop led by a master potter, where the visitors can approach the art of ceramics with the guidance of an expert.
Participation in the Museum tours and workshops is completely free. For information, and for booking to take part in the tours and workshops, apply to the Tourist office of Montelupo Fiorentino
Tel. 0571 518993 - fax 0571 911421
e-mail: ufficioturistico@museomontelupo.it
or directly at the Museum
Tel. 0571 51352 - fax 0571 911421
e-mail: info@museomontelupo.it
The tours take place on Thursday mornings from about 10am to 2pm, with the participants meeting at the Tourist office. The tours and the workshops are run for a minimum of 10 people up to a maximum of 20.
For those who so wish, the tour and workshop can be followed by a lunch based on the typical specialities of Montelupo and its region, at a restaurant either in the old town centre or in the surrounding countryside, at their choice (in the latter case visitors will need their own means of transport). The lunch is organised in selected restaurants, and the cost of the meal (approximately Euro 20.00 per person) is at the charge of the visitors.
For information, apply to the Tourist office.
MORE
http://www.museomontelupo.it