Discover the Famous Ceramics of the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is famous for its cliffs that dive into the deep blue Mediterranean, dropping from steeply terraced hillsides verdant with bright yellow lemon groves, silvery olive orchards and tough green grapevines. Tumbling through vertical towns, themselves dotted with brightly colored homes, the earth finally splashes into the sea where painted boats pose in rocky harbors.

Bursting with brilliant blues, yellows, reds and greens, the ceramics created here reflect the colors that saturate this coast. Made from the local red clay mixed with limestone, pottery has been formed and fired here for thousands of years. From ancient Rome to the present, cups, bowls and plates have functioned as practical and decorative objects for the poorest to the wealthiest residents.

After the pots have been formed and fired, they are dipped in a substance that coats them in white so that the hand-painted designs and colors will stand out. Ceramics production among the towns of the Amalfi coast goes back to the fifteenth century and has only increased in popularity over the centuries. Today the largest center of production is Vietri sul Mare where you can also find the Museo della Ceramica (Ceramics Museum) but there are wonderful ceramics shops up and down the coast, the most famous being in the towns of Positano, Ravello, Sorrento and Amalfi. Although many stores sell pottery that has been handmade in factories there are also potters who work individually such as Giuseppe Guaraccino (aka Soso) in Positano and Paolo Sandulli in Praiano.

These colorful vessels and sculptures are the perfect memento of a trip to the coast. Colorful, functional and beautiful they carry the Mediterranean into your home reminding you of the visual delights of the Amalfi coast.

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