CERAMICS IN DERUTA

Our friends JANE and Ken, along with grandson Casey are back in Italy for several weeks this summer. We all wanted to get together, and since Jane had never been to Deruta, we decided to meet for some shopping and then lunch.

Jane's mission was to find a ceramic clock that would sit on a shelf - all she'd been able to find so far were wall clocks. Casey was looking for something for his mom, but the fact that he was spending his own money would make the decision very, very difficult.

We met at GERIBI, at the southern end of via Tiberina, the road that runs the length of the lower part of Deruta. We moved across the street to BETTINI and the shop next to it whose name I don't remember. We checked out several other shops within walking distance, and although Jane found a few (very few) table clocks, most were too large for the shelf she wanted to put it on.

We drove a short distance to GRAZIA, one of the oldest ceramic producers in Deruta. Their pieces were exquisite, but probably the most expensive we saw. I loved these purple and lavendar dishes, new colors and a new design.









Although there are many fantastic factories and showrooms in lower Deruta, we decided to drive up to the historical center where the shops are located much closer together, meaning that we could check out quite a few in the limited time we had before lunch. The historical centro of Deruta is quite small, but of course it's charming.






We had to check out this ceramic guitar that our friend Adam had told us about. He played the guitar and said it felt and played just like any other guitar. I wondered how heavy it was, but unfortunately the shop was closed when we were there, hence the photo through the window.
















It wouldn't be until after lunch, at the very last shop we looked in, the one right next door to the restaurant, that Jane found the perfect clock!











And just like at several of the other shops we'd visited, the works in progress were clearly visible. Quite often the artist will work on a piece in between customers....



There are a few more pictures of Deruta and ceramics on our FLICKR PAGE, in the folder named "Deruta 2009".