Faenza is ceramics and ceramics is Faenza. After all, even today in France, the term faïence is used to indicate majolica. That is thanks to a thousand-year-old tradition, which was born in the Middle Ages from the abundance of clay soil nearby, and grew due to the strategic position of the town, halfway between the sea and Bologna along the Via Emilia and the gateway to Tuscany.
A typically Romagna story: necessity becomes a virtue, and in a few centuries the first ceramics were refined with simple shapes and intended for practical use, which today we call archaic, taking on Byzantine, Arab and eastern influences, and were coloured and decorated with the typical peacock feather eye motif. In the second half of the 16th century, the technical mastery of Faenza's craftsmen reached its peak, and the town unquestionably earned the title of ceramics capital: it was the era of the Bianchi di Faenza, elegant milk-white artefacts characterised by minimal decorations and variegated shapes, sometimes you could even call them extravagant.
Five hundred years later, in the town of the Manfredis, the art of ceramics is still being passed down by dozens of artisans and artists in their workshops, and there are many museum areas, several born within the same workshops of the greatest ceramists of the last century, where you can admire plates, jugs, vases that, formerly mere objects, have become true works of art.
A trip to Faenza along the path of artisan tradition cannot but begin at the International Museum of Ceramics, one of the most important in the world in the sector. Founded in 1908, it houses over 60,000 works, with a special section on FaenzaRenaissance ceramics. The International Museum of Ceramics is also a cultural centre with a library, archives, educational and restoration laboratories, and it hosts events such as the Concorso Biennale Premio Faenza (Biennial Faenza Prize Competition), in particular at the beginning of September during the Argillà Italia exhibition-market: always check the calendar of events!
This journey through ceramics continues in the laboratory-museum dedicated to Carlo Zauli, an internationally renowned artist from Faenza, among the historic rooms of the workshop, the clay cellar and the room of large reliefs: the museum is still today a centre for ceramic production and the circulation of contemporary art. Zauli is not the only great ceramist to whom a museum is dedicated in Faenza: among the most significant is the house-workshop of Guerrino Tramonti, which exhibits approximately 390 works of art including sculptures, polychrome ceramics and paintings, highlighting the artistic evolution of the artist, with references to eastern art and the technical innovations the artist himself introduced. Another stop is dedicated to Leandro Lega, with the exhibition of his works, the historical laboratory, the archives and the library, while you can end your tour with the museum dedicated to Riccardo Gatti, inaugurated in 1998 in the original factory: the collection displays some unique pieces, including the first “reflection” works from the 1920s and 1930s, evidence of the artist's connection with Futurism.
Strolling through the streets of the historic centre of Faenza, let yourself be guided by the oval plaques, made exclusively in ceramics, on the facades of the buildings: they indicate the laboratories where still today works of craftsmanship and masterpieces of art are created. Go into a workshop and let yourself be enchanted by the charm of ceramic processing, admire the shelves full of "biscuits" - the terracotta pieces still to be decorated - and try to imagine the final result, with its unique colours and reflections. Observe the expert hands of the female decorators, who transform ceramics into pure art with precise and delicate gestures, the same as 500 years ago.
Throughout the area of Faenza there are over 60 craftsmen’s workshops and artists’ ateliers where tradition and innovation merge and where master ceramists create unique pieces: from ceramics for everyday use, perhaps for the table, to furnishing accessories inspired by contemporary design. Visiting their workshops means having the opportunity to purchase, directly from their creators, objects that cannot be found elsewhere, because each piece contains centuries of experience and the refined skill of craftsmen. Each workshop tells a story of passion, technique and creativity ready to be shared through courses and demonstrations: experiences of a few hours, a day or an entire weekend that allow you to return.