Like in a modern fairy tale, the town of Montelupo changed forever thanks to a magic well. The magic however is of a particular kind . . . the well in question was full to the brim with ceramic kiln shards…In 1973 when the well was discovered the shards began to tell the story of their Golden Age, after centuries in dark silence. Nobody knew that Montelupo had been one of the most important pottery centers in Europe between the 15th and the 17th century.
Magnificent ceramic works emerged from the well. They told scholars how proud the wealthy and noble Florentine households were to own a table set made in Montelupo and about the skilful Tuscan merchants who sailed along the Arno to load Montelupo pottery and left for distant Mediterranean harbors.
Next time you’re in the area do not skip a visit to Montelupo and its Museum of Ceramics to discover this ceramic wonderland … oops … I mean, fairy tale.
Images courtesy of the Museum of Montelupo