Handmade in Caltagirone
Sicilian ceramics, shaped and painted by hand.
Authentic Sicilian pottery, made to order in our workshop in Caltagirone, signed, and sent with its certificate of authenticity.
Our collections of Sicilian ceramics
Each line is shaped from Caltagirone clay and painted by hand with the colours the town has used for centuries. Browse and order on italianpottery.us, our online shop for the United States.
Moor’s Heads
The Testa di Moro, in pairs or alone. Face, crown and size to order.
Discover
Pine Cones
The Sicilian sign of good fortune, kept by the door.
Discover
Vases
Baroque scrolls, relief work and the classic blue of Caltagirone.
Discover
Lamps
Ornamental lamps with a hand-painted ceramic body.
Discover
The workshop
A workshop, not a factory.
Nicola and Giuseppe Intonato opened the workshop in 2002, in a room of thirty square metres in Caltagirone. Today a small team shapes, glazes and paints every piece in Via Balchino, a few streets from our showroom on Corso Principe Amedeo di Savoia.
Visitors are welcome in both. Our pieces have travelled to Maison&Objet in Paris and to Italian Style at Navy Pier, Chicago.
Our storyThe process
From clay to maiolica, in five steps
Every piece passes through the same hands and two firings.
-
1. Shaping
Thrown on the wheel or modelled by hand, crowns and fruit added one by one. -
2. First firing
Slow, natural drying, then thirteen hours in the kiln at about 1000°C. -
3. Glazing
A white glaze of oxides and kaolin, the base of every colour. -
4. Painting
Painted freehand, with colours we prepare in our own workshop. -
5. Second firing
Glaze and colour fuse, and the maiolica takes its shine.
Small differences in tone and line are the mark of the hand, not a defect.
The signature piece
The Testa di Moro
A Sicilian legend of love and revenge, told in pairs for centuries: a young woman, a lover who would not stay, and a head turned into a vase for basil.
Ours are made to order. Choose the face, the crown and the size, and we paint the pair for you.
Signed, and certified
Every piece carries the hand-painted mark of the workshop and ships with a certificate of authenticity from Caltagirone.
Made for your home
Custom colours, sizes and pairs. Tell us the piece, the size and where it is going, and we will tell you how long it takes.
Request a custom pieceIn our clients’ words
5.0 from 55 reviews on Google
“This is not a simple souvenir shop but a place to buy works of art of exquisite craftsmanship.”
“Beautiful handmade pottery, a friendly welcome and visit to the small workshop where they are made.”
“The head was wrapped in paper, then boxed, and that box placed inside another full of polystyrene, with reinforced corners.”
From Caltagirone to your door
Good to know
Questions about Sicilian ceramics
Are your ceramics really handmade?
Yes. Every piece is shaped, glazed and painted by hand in our workshop in Via Balchino, Caltagirone, and fired twice. That is why no two pieces are exactly alike.
Is Caltagirone pottery maiolica or porcelain?
Maiolica: fired clay covered with a white glaze and painted by hand. Majolica or porcelain, the differences.
How do I recognise authentic Sicilian ceramics?
Look at the brush strokes, the glaze and the base. Our pieces also carry the hand-painted mark of the workshop. Five ways to tell.
Do you ship to the United States?
Yes, insured, in 4 to 9 days once the piece is ready. Any import duties are paid by the recipient. Shipping Sicilian ceramics to the USA.