Capture the rainbow in glorious colors and watch the majolica (ceramic) transform in the hot glow of the furnace. Precious and cherished the art of ceramics has been a very special artistic talent from Montelupo. Come watch the masters combining and blending versatile materials to render colorful and awesome vases, plates, plaques, tiles, flooring bricks and a host of innovative majolicas that entranced the ancient past and continues to enchant the modern world. Come and mingle with the costumed inhabitants of Montelupe at its Ceramic Festival which has been the tradition from the 14th century till the present time. Dance around the musicians and laugh at the jugglers. Watch creations turn from clay into fabulous collections and buy trinkets to please your loved ones. Turn the festival into a celebration as you walk into the Medici Villa dell'Ambrogiana with the work of its master craftsman, Buontalenti.

Cross Montalbano and before you reach the middle bank of the River Arno, you will find the beautiful territory of Montelupo. Come and see the work of talented artisans of an unforgettable past and watch with a practiced eye their techniques and their versatile materials. With a lovely backdrop Montelupo Fiorenetino, the 'Town of Ceramics', is surrounded by the fabled gorgeous countryside of Tuscany situated in the arterial pulse of its artistic work area. Time stands still though it gets more beautiful with the Montelupo penchant for dexterity of hand and the unique designs recalling the Renaissance times gone by. Walk by the river banks and notice how Montelupo has shaped its destiny. With the rich natural clay soil of the banks, the craftsmen have crafted this porous substance into fabulous creations that has been a heritage and the legacy of the people of Montelupo.

Go back on the wings of time to the 15th and 16th centuries when ceramic creations were at their peak. Founded in the early Middle Ages, the territory of Montelupo was taken over by the Florentine Republic in 1204. It was re-built as a military township and by the 14th century, a circle of walls was built as security for the town. Starting with a castle and finishing with the Priory of St. Lorenzo at its foothills, Montelupo protected its timeless and precious craft. The confines of Montelupo expanded with a huge villa built by the Medici clan in the 16th century on the left bank of the Arno bordering the neighborhood of Ambrogiana. By the turn of the 19th century, the villa was converted into a prison asylum, the Ospedale Psichiatrico Guidiziario. But the unchanging passion of the people of Montelupe has been the creation of masterpieces in ceramics. Sculpting, molding, baking, painting traditional designs and combining new ideas with old techniques, Montelupe has handed down priceless and timeless treasures guarded with old secrets.

Listen to the tales of the majolica as they swing with the beat of the music of the Ceramic Festival. Come and absorb the techniques as the clay is sculpted into ornate designs and low fired with opaque tin oxide. The hot temperature inspires the vivid coloring but makes it delicate in nature. Warm and dry, the Mediterranean basin is ideal for the creation and manufacture of porcelain, ceramic and stoneware. Let your imagination travel with the Majorcan merchants who braved the rough seas to bring in this fantastic art which has contributed to its name, majolica, in the 14th century. Watch the influence as it changed from the Hispano-Moresque lusterware, the influence of the Renaissance and the Chinese porcelain. The beautiful result was the Faience, the French term for pottery or wares from Faenza, Italy. Supported by the wealthy, the nobility and the merchants, majolica was soon promoted as a decorative and aesthetic art that would enhance the beauty of buildings, palazzos, royal courts and cathedrals.

Follow the ceramic route along the Tiber in Umbria and the Arno in Tuscany, decorated with the different styles and crafted with the textures of its history. Come to the Contado and meet the spirit of craftsmanship during the course of the 13th century. Watch the change from the heavy influence of the 'stovigliai' to the 'archaic majolica' and the great entry of high quality ceramic products. Experience a spectrum of techniques and styles that ranged from the 'international gothic' the 'graffite tirreniche' (scratching technique) and the white 'ingobbio' style ending in the Florentine technique which included calcium or limestone and resulting in a stronger texture and finish. But the during the 13th and the 14th centuries, the craftsmen of Monelupo used 'boccali' which was a white kind of clay glazed over with a deep and creamy finish which was so lovely that it needed no decorative finish which is evident in the 'bianchi' (whites) from Faenza. This was followed by Florence's 'bistugio' covered by the Montelupo white glaze that brought about the 'archaic blue majolica'. It became all the rage as the blue pigment that was used with copper oxide gave the effect of lapis lazuli with deeper dimensional aspects. This new artistic trend gave way to using majolica in relief works and as ceramics with enamel giving the 'zaffera' work an unending applause. Come and see the result of the genius of Montelupo craftsmanship in the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore and Massaccio's Brancacci Chapel..

Trace a path through the river belt and discover a Roman 'villa rustica' which goes back to the 1st century B. C. near the Virginio River. Resembling a 'villa schiavistica' (slave villa), this is a rare find on the Tyrrhenian coast, north of Tuscany. The Montelupo Museum of Archaeology and Ceramics in 1989 found this unique structure during their archaeological survey and forged ahead with their investigations to discover more about the origins of the famous majolica. Wander through this interesting museum and find that the two upper floors house archaeological exhibits that trace the origin of the majolica from the 1400s and the influence of Montelupo ceramics with its beautiful enamel vases amongst its peers. Witness a collection of 3,000 pieces of ceramics from the early Middle Ages to the Modern Period. Walk through the three floors that display the Local Archaeology section (Prehistoric times, Etruscans, Romans) and the Montelupo Ceramics section, from the Middle Ages up to the 18th century. Read the panels on the walls that explain the evolution of ceramics and notice the old ceramics furnace which inspires you to look into the depths of craftsmanship.

Sit on a bench at the notary's office and watch how Francesco Antinori signed a contract with 23 masters of ceramics for three years with three unique typologies. Notice how popular the Montelupo majolica was in the 15th century. Journey over the seas with the merchant ship that carried the majolica handicraft to all parts the world. As an interesting fact, 90% of archaeological finds of Montelupo majolica were found in Amsterdam, London and Southampton. Go through the precious possessions of Lorenzo the Magnificent and find that his majolica collection was described as rinfrescatoi, scodelle, piatelli and alberelli as 'di terra lavorata a Montelupo, bela' (made from clay worked in Montelupo). Francesco Antinori also contributed other forms of majolica, especially, 'donò Francesco Antinori per la caccia' (given by Francesco Antinori for hunting). The museum reveals the art of colouring in ceramics with 'zaffera tricolor' and 'damaschino' and 'istoriato' styles. Come and observe the beautiful Madonna and Child, two lovely angel candle-stick holders created by Valdarno ceramists in the Robbia style. Look at the awesome Medici collection which feature two pharmacy jars with Cosma and Damiano. Two bricks are seen with the building mark of Henry IVth. As another interesting fact, between the 1611 and 1617, eight floor coverings of majolica were ordered by Maria de'Medici, Queen of France for her Louvre Castle and her palace in Luxembourg. The magnificent and appealing orci from the Marni workshop in Montelupo was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1974.

Go on a tour of the major majolica centres and their beautiful ceramic collection. Deruta near Perugia is known for its Bella Donna plates, intricate designs with Luster and Ricco Deuta and Raffaellesco designs and is famous for its school of Majolica in Italy. Gubbio and Gualdo Tadino are famous for their firing techniques with a gold and ruby finish that closely resembled these precious substances and was popular among the wealthy people. Orvieto and Siena are popular for their Etruscan style and Dame plates with court figures with deep purple and brown effects and copper oxide. Firenze and Sesto Fiorentino enjoyed the patronage of the Medicis and other noble families and was rich in its talent and creations in Majolica. Urbino, Pesaro and Casteldurante were patronized by the Montefeltro family which nurtured the talent of the young Raphael whose master was Perugino and whose influence spread to the entire region. Faenza was the seat of the powerful Della Rovere family and it was during the 17th century that the Count Fermiani on his travels to the Orient was inspired by Chinese porcelain from which evolved the Carnation pattern.

Come and take a long walk through the clay soils of the famous Montelupo and discover a heritage in ceramic making that has been bestowed to the world. Discover the secrets of majolica and let it bring the glow of colours, the heat of passion and the texture of a precious craft.