Ceramics Museum

Montelupo Fiorentino was the majolica factory of the Medici where the plates, bowls and jugs that adorned the tables of the famous Florentine families were produced. From here through the Arno river, thanks to the intuition of skilled traders such as the Antinori, the ceramics reached the Tuscan ports and from there the whole known world. Traditional processing has spanned the centuries and is more alive than ever. A story that can be discovered by visiting the Ceramics Museum, a present time to admire while walking in the historic center or visiting one of the many artisan shops. In 1973, during the paving works of an ancient road in the castle of Montelupo, an ancient well was found, baptized the washhouse well. Used as a landfill for the nearby furnaces, the sink well turned out to be a large archaeological deposit that collected the evidence of the productions. Thanks to the findings it was possible to reconstruct the history of the manufacture and compose the first nucleus of the Museum, which over time has developed to reach its current layout. A journey through the centuries and the uses of ceramics: the orders of the noble Florentine families, the jars made for the historic Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella (which still commissions ceramics to the artisans of Montelupo), the journeys around the world along the merchant routes, the “amatory” ceramics that carry messages of lovers or betrothed and then the most precious piece, the famous “Red one of Montelupo”, a basin decorated with grotesques, fascinating for the still unsolved secret linked to its red pigment. From 2021 the path is also enriched by the "Museum Furnace", an ancient furnace recovered in all its details which, through an immersive environment made of sounds and smells, allows you to travel back in time and discover the atmosphere of an ancient shop. Upon request, didactic activities and workshops are carried out.
The discovery of Montelupo ceramics then passes through a walk through the streets of the center, where there are works of art recently created by famous designers, in collaboration with local companies.

Information

• Address: Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 10, Montelupo Fiorentino

• Web site: www.museomontelupo.it

• E-mail address: info@museomontelupo.it

• Phone: 0571.1590300

• GPX coordinates: 43.7348579,11.0229676