Montelupo Fiorentino

Today I spent the last day of November hunting down Italian ceramics. There are two main locations that supply the majority of Italian Ceramics. Deruta near Umbria due to the Tiber River and Montelupo near Florence located near the Arno River. These rivers provide the natural clay deposits perfect for production of maiolica. As Florence is so near to Lucca, I chose to go to Montelupo. The train left Lucca and a quick hour and a half later I arrived in the heart of Montelupo. Another beautiful medieval town, although not enclosed by walls, Montelupo is a beautiful town filled with steep cobblestone streets. The town Piazza has a Christmas tree made of ceramic plates as soon as you walk up from the train station.

After roaming the streets for over an hour looking for the Museo della Ceramica of Montelupo Fiorentino. I decided to stop for lunch before the witching hour (the time when Italians close shop for the midday break). Finding food between the hours of 3-6 can be very difficult. I chose a charming restaurant called Osterio di Fuori. Fantastic food. However, when I asked the waiter and the owner how to get to the museum, I discovered that they did not speak enough English and I did not speak enough Italian. They called over a regular patron who had just walked in with a very loud, joyous foursome. The gentleman walks over and I said "so I assume you speak English". He laughs and asks how can he help. When I explain that I am trying to find the Museum of Ceramics, he asks if I am interested in Italian Ceramics. I reply "yes, that is why I came here from Lucca." He asks how long I am staying in Lucca and when I told him I live there now, he congratulates me and proceeds to explain that he has a store that sells ceramics in Montelupo and, in fact, owns the factory that provides the Italian ceramics to Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Anthropology. Well, of course, I was stunned. He then gives me his number and tells me to call him and he will give me a tour of his factory and we can custom design my ceramics. I was on cloud nine! Sometimes it pays to speak Italian so poorly. I am calling on Monday and as soon as I tour .his facility I will be sure to post. Here are some pics from Montelupo Fiorentino Ciao

Osterio di Fuori

A day in Montelupo...