DERUTA: The town of the people’s art

The earliest settlements in Deruta were favored by the ready availability of clay found in great quantities in the Deruta hills and in the alluvial deposits of the Tiber River; the town’s favorable geographical position, due to its proximity to major roads, fostered the development of the potters’ work and their trade.
A considerable number of archival documents and ceramic works testify to how ceramics have been produced in Deruta uninterruptedly from the Middle Ages until today; the evidence forms a picture of Deruta taking shape, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries, and again in the 20th century, as an extraordinary phenomenon of a mono economy based on the production of pottery. This continuity means that, in the stylistic and technical evolution of Deruta pottery, one recognizes all the milestones achieved also by the other pottery towns of central & northern Italy, often with important breakthroughs and original solutions, such as in the case of the Renaissance lusterware. This is due to Deruta’s role as a crossroads from the 14th to the 16th century, when various artistic developments were amalgamated in a fruitful sharing of ideas and experiences. The migration of master potters to and from Deruta was in fact a phenomenon that affected the town early on and that would remain constant until recent times. It also explains the contaminations and original designs that have distinguished the art of Deruta for centuries.

Do not miss

• The Regional Ceramics Museum and the Municipal Picture Gallery
• The archeological area of the San Salvatore potteries next to the Regional Ceramics Museum
• The experience of a pottery decoration workshop for children and adults in the setting of the Ceramics Museum
• The specialized library at the Regional Ceramics Museum
• The Church of San Francesco
• The Church of Sant’Antonio Abate
• A tour of the old kilns in the historic center
• The Alviero Moretti Contemporary Artistic Ceramics Foundation
• Ubaldo Grazia Maioliche Pottery Museum
• A tour of the small workshops and the large majolica potteries, guided by master artisans, to experience the pottery-making process
• The Madonna dei Bagni Sanctuary
• A stop at the restaurants and osterie (taverns) to enjoy the Umbrian cuisine