Worth the Detour: Pottery Villages

Folk pottery deep in the Alentejo; a Moroccan village with the deepest greens; terra cotta in the Costa Brava; plus top five ceramics museums

At In Hand, it’s our best practice and holy grail to try to include a side story about traditional craft or design as part of every travel itinerary: a weaving village 45 minutes away from town (with a stop to view ruins on the way); an incredible 5th-generation ceramics workshop on the other side of the island; a speck of a village where there’s a single basket weaver hanging on to the old ways. Sometimes it’s a single shop we’ve been tipped off about, other times it’s an entire village still operating as it has for centuries.

While we’ve written about a great many of these in-the-know, out-of-the-way micro-destinations, they are often tucked into an expansive newsletter as a side note—and often not available to our free subscribers. So in an effort to share this info with all our readers—all in one spot—you’ll find a list of pottery villages, workshops, and museums to add to your itineraries. These aren’t necessarily meant to be pilgrimages in their own right; they’re special places worth straying from your path. Be welcome to ask questions — we’re happy to help with related travel intel in the comments, or can at least point you in the right direction.

POTTERY TOWNS WORTH KNOWING ABOUT //

If you’re traveling to Sicily:
The ancient ceramics town of Calgirone is a visual feast of ceramics, built right into the infrastructure: playful ceramic street signs in pastel colors; beautiful tiled stone walls and bridges; and most impressively, a 17th-century, 142-step staircase fronted with hand-painted tiles that cuts through the heart of town. Streets are lined with ceramic shops and working studios selling large round platters covered in lemons, lidded pharmacy jars, amphorae, and most iconically, the fabled jars in the shape of human heads—which you’ll see on balconies all over town, greenery cascading down a few feet. According to one local legend, an impassioned noble girl cut off the head of her Moorish lover in a jealous rage and grew plants in it, watered by her tears; the plants thrived, gaining the attention of the neighbors and inspiring a thousand-year-old tradition of anthropomorphic ceramics. Don’t miss Delfino Ceramiche and the Museo della Ceramica in the Villa Patti house, followed by a stroll through the adjoining public park with ceramic installments like a majolica tile-covered gazebo-like temple, fountains, and walls topped with brightly painted ceramic pots and pinecones.

If you’re traveling to Spain:
In this small inland town in the Costa Brava, where plates and bowls cover shop facades and piles of ceramics are stacked out front, terra cotta is deeply embedded in the culture. Admittedly, La Bisbal d'Empordà is a little tired, but it’s real and not airbrushed for tourists, and new and vintage pieces aren’t priced for tourists. The expansive Terracotta Museum, housed in a former tile factory, provides an intro to the history of terracotta in the region, which runs as deep as the dark red clay. Afterwards, pop into ceramic shops along Carrer de L’Aigüeta, the main thoroughfare in town, including the star, Ceramica Sampere, with its brightly tiled facade and shelves full of amorphous shapes and organic, simply-glazed pieces made in their on-site studio.

If you’re traveling to the Azores:
On the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores, known for its wild paradise of lush landscapes, volcanoes, hot springs, crater lakes and epic coastline, Cerâmica Vieira is a 155-plus-year-old ceramics studio/shop/museum still owned and operated by the same family dating back five generations of potters. The village used to be full of potters, but these days, the main attraction is a single institution (although, villagers still work here and feel an immense pride of place). Every nook and cranny of the sprawling space is open to visitors. An expansive maze of process-specific rooms unfolds into an accidental living museum with longtime throwers and painters heads-down in the vernacular tradition. We visited in the off-season (essentially anytime that’s not summer), and had the solitary run of the place. We loved it so much, we dedicated an entire newsletter to it.

If you’re traveling to Morocco:
About six hours from Marrakesh at the edge of the desert in the Draa River valley in southern Morocco lies Tamagroute, the village responsible for Morocco's distinctive vibrant green pottery. I’ve never visited, but it’s been on my radar since first seeing photos a few years ago of the standard underground set-up: waist-high pits dug out of the dirt-floor workshops, so potters can work at ground level. There are still dozens of family workshops here, but you generally need a guide to take you around (easily arranged beforehand, and right near the entrance to town), and there’s a co-op where you can buy direct after visiting the studios. 

If you are traveling to Portugal:
There are a few really special ceramics villages left in the Alentejo, but none quite as comprehensive and intact as Sao Pedro de Corval, known for its main thoroughfare lined with workshops, one right after the other. This means that it can feel a bit more touristy at moments—which is ok, considering it’s keeping this heritage craft town alive. Most of the dozen or so workshops line the main street so it’s easy to pop in and out. Our picks: Olaria Tavares for their line of traditional blue and white tableware; Olaria Cristo for their painted terra cotta and oversized pots; and Olaria Polido e Filho for their one-of-a-kind experimental ceramics. Many of the shops offer glimpses into back studios, where throwers are working away at the wheel.

If you’re traveling to Oaxaca:
When I was in Oaxaca, I made the craft pilgrimage to the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle but didn’t get to the smaller ceramics village of San Bartolo Coyotepec. A regret! Known for its black clay pottery dating back 2,000 years—pots, plates, figurines, and elaborately detailed decorative items—this Zapotec community is less than a half hour south of Oaxaca. It’s much smaller than Teotitlan del Valle, making it easily navigable on your own or with a guide in an hour or two. Clay is still brought down from the mountains on the backs of burros, and the pottery is fired in underground kilns. In the 70s, the late Zapotec ceramicist Dona Rosa discovered a new technique (polish before firing) that gives the black pottery its iconic shiny finish. Her son continues to run the popular family workshop in town.

If you’re traveling to Puglia:
I’ve been to Puglia a few times, and I cannot get enough of the ceramic district of Grottaglie in the Alto Salento peninsula. There’s something about the heat and arid landscape that lends itself to the colors and texture and feeling of the pottery. Still run by longtime ceramics families (as well as a few contemporary newcomers), the small town is full of shops with exceptional craftsmanship where you can feel the soulful connection to the craft. Back doors are often left open to catch a breeze in the stifling heat of deep summer, and visitors can steal a glimpse of potters in process, not necessarily as a tourist attraction but as a quiet observer passing by. Wheels hum, paint splatters, and pottery is piled willy-nilly in every corner. Nicola Fasano is one of the most well known (Sofia Coppola had her wedding dinnerware made here), stretching back 18 generations, which seems implausible. Beyond the endless shapes and patterns of tableware and amphora, Nicola’s traditional pumi knights / dolls with mustaches are a playful traditional delight.

If you’re traveling to Romania:
We wrote about Romanian pottery a few months back, shortly after the village of Horezu was featured in The New York Times (we have conflicted feelings about what constitutes too much attention when most traditional crafts are considered endangered). Horezu is responsible for beautiful, intricately decorated pieces that are currently enjoying a moment at niche design shops like Cabana and Toast. I’ve talked to friends who have been to this traditional ceramics village, and while it’s more well-known than some of the other pottery studios farther afield, most of the Romanian potters in Horezu still have to raise animals and grow their own vegetables to get by. Even though a handful of fancy shops have shown an interest, it continues to be an authentic Romanian village, where you can visit multiple workshops and buy pieces directly from the artisans who still use locally collected clay and apply the signature swirling patterns with a tool handmade from a cow horn and feather. 

If you’re traveling to the Cyclades Islands:
Of all the islands in Greece (too many to count), Sifnos is the one most known for holding onto its traditional ceramics-making past. Clusters of shops can be found in the villages of Appolonia, Kamares, Herronissos, Platis Yialos, and Vathi. But if you’re deeply interested in the process and history, you should consider a trip out to visit Konstantinos Depastas—the oldest potter on the island—located on the north end. Sifnos, also known for its delicious food (I know, I know, all of Greece — but specifically here), offers a special treat for ceramics lovers: you’ll see beautiful locally made ceramics at even the most simple, unpretentious of trattorias. There’s a deep sense of respect for the island’s history and and pottery production.

CRAFT IMMERSION WITH HEATH CERAMICS IN MASHIKO, JAPAN //

You likely know the Northern California ceramics powerhouse Heath Ceramics; but you might not know that they have been teaming up with Modern Adventures over the past few years to lead a 10-day trip to Japan, where they dive deep into the craft culture and meet with longtime potters. We asked Heath’s Design Director and leader for the upcoming fall trip, Tung Chiang, about heading into the countryside to visit Mashiko, a rural, mountainous region famous for its pottery.

Tell us about the relationship between Heath and Japan?
At Heath, an important source of inspiration for us is experiencing different places. Often, we find ourselves returning to the same destination repeatedly in search of a deeper connection. Our frequent visits to Japan are driven by its ancient culture, profound connection with nature, and reverence for craftsmanship. Over the past ten years, we have consistently revisited Japan, meeting our craft friends and delving deeper into their lives and culture. We are excited whenever we have the chance to share this relationship with our audience.

What are your favorite ceramics-related stops on the trip?
The primary reason for our visit to Mashiko and Kasama in Japan, two ceramics cities located just a few hours outside Tokyo, is to meet two of our favorite craftsmen: Akio Nukaga (Kasama) and Hideki Takayama (Mashiko). Both towns have been established as pottery centers for a very long time. Master potter Shoji Hamada has a beautiful museum in Mashiko, and a pottery fair happens annually. The surroundings of both cities are magical, with bamboo forests and rice fields as their backdrop. It is the deep connection to nature and how it reflects in their works that moves me.

What makes Mashiko stand out?
Long history and famous potters like Shoji Hamada.

Read about this epic trip to Japan with Tung, The Soul of Craft.

DISPATCH FROM A SUPER NICHE CERAMICS MUSEUM //

Not a traditional pottery village, but a very compelling ceramics-specific side trip, thanks to this fantastical hyper-niche museum. 

About an hour and change north of Lisbon, the Museo da Ceramica in Caldas da Raihna is a former viscount’s ceramic-bedecked folly turned wildly eccentric ceramics museum. It’s hard to decide which is the main attraction: the utterly charming architectural whimsy built in 1898 to look even older (a little rough around the edges in all the right ways) or the collection of fantastical ceramics from famed cartoonist-turned-ceramicist Rafael Bordalo Pinherio, who created the Fabrica de Faiancas de Caldas da Rainha in 1884. The original ceramics are out of this world: You probably know Pinheiro’s iconic, much-copied green cabbage plates from countless design magazines (and there’s an outlet across the street if you are a fan); but his pieces here include over-the-top surreal oddities like a lizard monk, a giant oyster shell, and a vase swarming with bees. There are also substantial collections of faience from Fábrica do Rato (dating back to the 1700s), traditional Portuguese ceramics and work from local contemporary artists.

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FIVE MORE (MAJOR) MUSEUMS WHOLLY DEDICATED TO CERAMICS TO PUT ON YOUR RADAR: 

1. Museo Regional de la Cerámica, Guadalajara, Mexico — First on my list of museums to travel for. In an old hacienda, complete with traditional kitchen, fully outfitted and set up as an exhibition. Emphasis on representing longtime ceramics families in Mexico working in traditional craft.

2. The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics, Leeuwarden, Netherlands — Housed in a palace built in 1693, this museum is known for having the largest collection of Dutch tiles in the world. Also, Dutch Art Nouveau and Art Deco ceramics from 1880 to 1930.

3. Gladstone Pottery Museum, Stoke-on-Kent — yes, this is the place (above) of the Great Pottery Throw Down, but it’s also an incomparable museum that tells the story of coal-fired potteries in England during the Industrial Revolution.

4. The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka — considered one of the best ceramics collections in the world with an emphasis on pieces from ancient China and Korea.

5. Gardiner Museum, Toronto — Wide and deep collection of ceramics from all over the world, specifically earthenwares (pre-colonial America), Italian Renaissance maiolica, English delftware; and 18th-century porcelain, plus thoughtful contemporary exhibitions.

TOURS RE-OPENING IN MARCH //

Do you know about this crazy cake? Entering its second season, you’ll be able to sign up for tours of the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos’s fantastical 40-foot, three-tiered Wedding Cake sculpture in 2024 — March through October — at Waddesdon Manor. Made of 25,000 gleaming, icing-like ceramic tiles—all made in Lisbon—the cake is decorated with with ceramic cherubs, dolphins, candles, and even little burbling fountains. The interior is perhaps even more exuberant than the exterior.

image © A Rothschild House and Garden | photo by Chris Lacey

RELATED IN HAND NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

Traditional craft in Sicily
Basketry on the island of Tinos
Tile-gawking in Portugal
Craft-hunting in the Alentejo
The Weaving Village of Teotitlan del Valle

—Meghan McEwen

[Photo credits: Grottaglie photos via Carla Coulson; Gladstone Pottery Museum via Andrew Stawarz/Flickr]