Museo della Ceramica Montelupo

The Museum of Ceramics of Montelupo collects the testimonies of local ceramic production, which was one of the most important production centers not only of Italy, but the entire Mediterranean basin.

Was accidentally discovered in 1973, in the old part of the city, a large water well, they made intone the year one thousand, abandoned for centuries, filled with an enormous amount of waste furnace and tiled pieces, now on display in the museum after a meticulous restoration work.

The museum is currently closed for renovation, home to 1200 majolica dating from the late thirteenth century to the eighteenth century (selected among the 5,550 that make up the collection). Many of the exhibited works are the result of constant research and excavation that always evaluates new materials.

The collection also some fruit tiles from donations or acquisitions such as the famous Red Montelupo: a basin dated 1509, decorated with grotesques on a yellow and red background, belonged to the Rothschild collection in Paris, which takes its name from the particular red pigment used in decoration, the composition of which is still a mystery today.

The pottery museum is part of an integrated system that includes the Archaeological Museum and the Roman Villa of Vergigno. The two museums and archaeological site is an ideal starting point for the discovery of pottery and territory.