How we found them

Ceramics from the South of Italy - first visit

We arrived in Vietri sul Mare on a sultry morning in late June after the breathtaking bus trip down the Amalfi coast.  We were in the company of some American tourists, one of whose children needed a plastic bag urgently because of the narrow road with vertical drop on one side .. We alighted from the little blue bus knowing we had arrived in the ceramics capital of the South of Italy.  All around this little town, nestled among the steep cliffs, were public hand painted ceramic plaques and displays of local craftsmanship. The town is famous for its ceramic industry.

We wandered through the main street browsing before we located the largest manufacturer at the far end of the town.  As we browsed inside we were amazed at the large range, but disappointed that it was not the quality and design that we were looking for.

Nearly every available retail outlet is selling ceramics, and as we meandered through the town, we came to a small shop that had a lovely friendly manager who engaged with us as we browsed.  We were taken by the life in the colours of the designs and the friendliness of the shop keeper.  After chatting for a while, we asked if they were interested in exporting and before we knew it, we found ourselves at the factory that produced these beauties.  The owner had one of his men come around and picked us up and we chatted about possibilities and reviewed his products in more detail.

We toured the factory, saw the artisans painting each piece by hand and after four and a half hours of discourse, we were taken back to the town, knowing we had a possibility of a mutually beneficial trading relationship.  We sought out a local cafe for a coffee and a light lunch and sat in the narrow street in the shade to rest and reflect on our day.  A feeling of excitement at the possibilities ahead and pure hunger mixed together as the shop owner produced a delicious lunch for us at 4.30 pm!  This mix of pleasant emotions was disturbed only by us having to move our chairs a round the street side table to allow a car to pass.

Thus began a great relationship with the manufacturer of our Vietri sul Mare ceramics range.  We are very proud of these products and we love the region they come from, the friendly people there and the great memories we have of our time there.

We returned to visit our supplier some time later and enjoyed our time with them even more.  You can read about this below.

Ceramics from Deruta, Umbria

Like Vietri sul Mare, Deruta is a town who reputation and industry is primarily based on the production of high quality ceramics.  Set in the heart of the Umbrian valley, it is necessary to drive to Deruta and after exiting the autostrada, visitors are first greeted by the more modern and industrial Deruta where much of the ceramic production is done.  We initially toured up and down the main street where many of the factory outlets and small production units are and visited a few.  We were struck by the difference in the designs and also by the Asian influence on many of the ancient designs.  Such intricate, fine detail was like sampling a fine wine.  The quality and elegance might be lost on someone unfamiliar with the history and skill involved in producing these beauties.

Part of our business model is based on the development of a relationship with our suppliers and our initial foray in Deruta did not sow the seeds of a business relationship we were looking for.  We did buy some sample traditional coffee cups in the "rafaellesque" design that we still treasure though.

We did however, venture up the hill to the old town and just loved browsing the village and seeing the evidence of how people lived here for centuries and have loved the production of exquisite ceramic design.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch and the view onto the Umbrian valley and also brought back some lovely matching wall plates, which we also treasure.  The weight and fragility of these were a concern though to bring home in hand luggage through numerous airports and 22 hours of flying.

On our second visit to Deruta however, we met the owner of an international supplier of Ceramics and the relationship seemed to be just right.  We were permitted to take some photos of the extensive showroom and placed an order upon our return.

Return to Vietri sul Mare

Our return to Vietri sul Mare and our ceramics supplier is a classic southern Italian experience again.  From the moment our presence was noted until the last day, we were showered with Southern hospitality and kindness.  Firstly, we met our supplier at his retail outlet in Vietri sul Mare and after initial greetings we were driven the 20 vertical metres to our hotel via a network of narrow one lane streets that was at least a kilometre!  The view from our hotel room was typically stunning with unobstructed views of the blue, blue Mediterranean sea.  It was SO GOOD to be back.  Even the wall plates above our bed were familiar - pesce blue, gallinelle orange - we felt right at home!

Our supplier (who also owned the Hotel!) took us for a tour of the facility the next morning and the combination of stunning views, great coffee and ceramics everywhere was a wonderful introduction to our stay.  It was great to start the business talk (only in Italian by the way) in such stunning surroundings.  What followed was amazing - a traditional 5 course Italian lunch with our personal chef looking out to the wonderful Mediterranean right there.  Wow, we could hardly walk to the car to be taken up to the factory for more serious business talk.  We select additional items to be ordered including more beautiful ornamental ceramics and dinnerware accessories.  The hospitality did not end there though, with an invitation to pizza in the piazza that evening before an invitation to share another huge dinner starting at 11pm after the political rally....  Well, we thought we would not need to eat for another month at least after our lunch, so this was all too much.  However, the political rally was such an experience, with a high turnout from everyone, including children, dogs and every age group with a real positive festive atmosphere with lots of clapping and support.  Something we will never forget