There are two things that define Italian identity and Italians love for traditions and their territory: their obsession with food and traditional craftsmanship. Every region in Italy has its own tradition, from the famous glass creations of Murano to the ceramic wonders of Caltagirone. In Italy, the new startup Artzan, founded by siblings Bianca and Francesco Esposito, has the ambition to promote these different realities telling the hundreds of stories that are hidden in Italy’s historic laboratories. Here is Artzan’s list from a selection of 10 outstanding ceramic crafts realities in Italy, from South to North:

If there is one city in Italy that represents the beauty of Italian ceramics it’s Caltagirone – the city of Sicilian ceramic craftsmen. The historic center of Caltagirone, unique for its monumental Scala di Santa Maria del Monte, a stairway of 142 steps decorated with majolica tiles, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In the month of June it is the scene of a unique show, with plants and flowers with various shades of color to compose a design that is different every time. Here tourism and craftsmanship intertwine thanks to the millenary tradition of ceramic production. Maremoro produces extraordinary, handcrafted Sicilian ceramics by following ancient traditions which transform an artisan product into a design object. Through their ceramics, artisans tell stories that reveal Sicily, its colours, its flavours and its fragrances, creating furnishing accessories with a typically Mediterranean style. WEBSITE

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Patrizia Italiano, Sicilia

Another Sicilian craftswoman is Patrizia Italiano. Inspired by the Byzantine, Arab and Norman style of the city of Palermo and the breathtaking nature of Filicudi Island, Patrizia Italiano creates unique pieces that remind us of the tradition and the agriculture of the Sicilian territory. The artist lives in Sicily between Palermo and her Filicudi, a source of inspiration and research. Ceramics has always been her passion. Manual work and creativity have accompanied her in every moment of her life. From a very young age she exhibited in Milan, New York, Tokyo, the United Arab Emirates and other countries. She has started working again after a period of inactivity with new collections of sculptures, heads, plates and vases, telling of Sicily in an ironic and contemporary way. As the artist herself says: «I live in Sicily, between the sea of ​​the Aeolian Islands and the city of Palermo. Filicudi is a source of inspiration and research for me. Ceramics have always been my passion. Manual work and creativity have accompanied me in every moment of my life». Patrizia Italiano was selected among the most interesting craftswomen in the world featured in the Homo Faber Guide by the Michelangelo Foundation. WEBSITE

Crita is the Sicilian name for “clay”. Crita – with a well-rolled R – like clay that becomes the indispensable raw material for their products. The dream of Crita begins from the idea of a group of friends, Davide and Livio, Sicilians by birth, and Matthias, Austrian but Sicilian for love: «Crita took off from our idea and the desire to experience new aesthetic forms tracing them back to the tradition of a city whose name, alone, harbors the power to evoke pottery wheels, bright colours, sinuous lines and “teste di moro”: the city of Caltagirone». Millennial mastery in forging vibrant and evocative objects, that one can breathe in every corner of the city, is at the base of every single piece in Crita’s collection. These young craftsmen’s goal is to bring a more cosmopolitan and contemporary vision, enriching tradition, if possible, with their globetrotter experiences. WEBSITE

Ceramiche Nicola Fasano is located in Grottaglie in the “Alto Salento” in the Peninsula of Puglia. Here, moulded from clay are eighteen generations with the same passion: a craft in which Fasano ceramiche, while retaining the age-old techniques, has developed and redefined more and more designs, colours, patterns and finishes without the commercial sector. You can visit the factory to see how to make Pumi Knights and Dolls with Mustaches (figures of the Apulian tradition of the Seventeenth Century) or the line of “valuables” made ​​by coating the fine ceramics with pure gold, silver or platinum  fixed with a third firing. The process is always visible to those who request to assist in the realisation of particular works commissioned by stylists, designers, architects and indicators of trends that contribute to the development of innovative imperfections. WEBSITE

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Solimene Art, Vietri, Campania

Solimene Art was founded in 2003. It is the expression of a “know how” which has been handed down and renewed for generations. In fact, today, the company is led by Pierfrancesco Solimene, a member of the fourth generation of the family: «We have a family tradition in ceramics; since I was a child I have been in contact with this material. I spent my afternoons after school in my father’s factory: it was a magical place full of brushes and colours, emotions that have influenced my personal growth». The ceramic studio, today is located in Cava de’ Tirreni, at the gates of the Amalfi Coast. It maintains a strong ceramic tradition and its own local colours; the techniques and the craftsmanship still preserve the same rule of a century ago: “exclusively hand-made”. WEBSITE

Mediterranea is a project born in 2019 that has its roots in the heart of Naples. From family experience in the world of craftsmanship, Mediterranea quickly becomes a leading brand in the scenario of made in Italy ceramics. The passion for craftsmanship and tradition meet an innovative and contemporary style, giving life to objects with a unique, refined and classic design. The art, the colours and the care of Mediterranea’s craftsmen make it an icon of a valuable product enriched by the history of their territory: «Our products are entirely made and decorated by hand by our craftsmen, located in different points of the Amalfi coast. Our creative team, which operates in the heart of Naples, is committed to research of new creations and new decorations making Mediterranea a rich and dynamic brand, while always maintaining the strong link with the territorial tradition that distinguishes our brand». WEBSITE

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Federica Massimi ceramics, Roma, lazio

Based in Rome and with a background marked by interior design, the artist Federica Massimi has been producing her splendid colourful fruit-ceramics since 2019: «I have always felt the need to explore crafts and materials and ceramics totally captivated me. With it I found the perfect mix between sculpture, painting and interior decoration. Exploring forms, shapes and techniques, I aim at producing aesthetic and functional pieces, imagining to create “edible” ceramics». WEBSITE

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Fabbrica d’Arte Monterosso, Liguria

Fabbrica d’Arte Monterosso is a project, an idea, a dream that takes shape every day. It is art, craftsmanship, dedication. Since 1982 the artisans have been involved in creating and decorating ceramics in the Fabbrica d’Arte workshop, located in the hills just outside Monterosso, in the Cinque Terre. Ours are hands that, in almost 40 years of activity, have perfected every gesture, experimented, and made mistakes as well as discoveries;  this is why today we can offer you unique pieces with their own authentic personality. WEBSITE

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Maria Verachiari, Milano, Lombardia

The colourful and playful decorative ceramics by Maria Verachiari: «Let me introduce myself: born in Milan in 1971, classical high school and architect since 1998, in fact I deal with architecture, art, craftsmanship and design every day with pleasure. Since I was a child passionate about archeology and work with the hands, I have always used ceramic as the chosen material to express myself, natural, shiny, colourful, clean, which transforms itself in the oven as if by magic. In 2002, after a few years in Cino Zucchi’s studio, I created my brand MV% CERAMICS DESIGN with which to mark the ESPRESSO cup with spoon – my first creation – and opened my space in Alzaia Naviglio Grande 156 in Milan». WEBSITE

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Tuttoattaccato, bassano del grappa, Veneto

Tuttoattaccato is an atelier from Bassano del Grappa in Veneto, directed by Carlo and Francesco Guazzo. Immersed in a land of skilled craftsmen, father and son combine their visions to celebrate the cultural heritage of their territory by enhancing the historic manufacture of ceramics and blown glass. From the lampworking of the glass with colored rods to the meticulous decoration of the ceramics with 24K gold, Tuttoattaccato enhances the art of drinking through convivial objects with a timeless charm. WEBSITE