TRENDY TUSCAN CERAMICS

TRENDY TUSCAN CERAMICS

IN THE FLORENTINE AREA, FOR 600 YEARS, WATER, EARTH, AND FIRE HAVE  BECOME ARTISTIC CERAMICS. NOT ANTIQUE DECORATIONS, BUT TRENDY AND TRADITIONAL SHAPES

 

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino, Fattoria del Colle Trequanda

 

“Among the villages of the Val di Pesa, Valdelsa, and Val di Virginio is the workshop where our ceramics are born, nestled among the vineyards and hills,” says Sara Petreni, welcoming us to the Toscana Lovers shop in Siena, in Piazza Indipendenza, just a few steps from Piazza del Campo, where the Palio is run. “They are still made using the ancient techniques of the wheel, casting, and press, in a blend of styles. From country chic with dusty hues and shabby details to classic and contemporary. Hands that first draw and then shape the clay.” Sara shows the results of the ceramists’ patient work: bowls, plates, trays, jugs, cruets… the colours are typical of the Tuscan palette and landscapes. “Each shade is unique, created by the brush of a true artist who adds a touch of chiaroscuro, thus making the ceramic vibrate.”

The items for sale at Toscana Lovers appear to be of a new design, but instead they tell an ancient story.

ARTISAN TUSCAN CERAMICS FOR THE TABLE

So a red cruet will never be a simple container for oil, but an object that accompanies us during family meals, adding a touch of color that brightens every kitchen.

And then there are the dinner sets, the flower-like bowls, and even the bathroom collections.

“Immersing yourself in these styles and colours is a gift we give ourselves,” explains Sara Petreni.

Tourists and residents who want authentic Tuscan objects, handcrafted using ancient techniques and a contemporary style, on their table or in their home can find them here.

TOSCANA LOVERS, THE BOUTIQUE OF THE FINEST ARTISANSHIP FOR THE TABLE AND BATHROOM

From small objects to near-masterpieces. At Toscana Lovers, you’ll find soaps made with bronze molds in Tuscany’s second-oldest waxworks. Resin objects enshrining laurel, wildflowers, ears of corn, and Tuscan chili peppers…. Scarperia knives with razor-sharp blades, famous since the Renaissance, create cutting-edge utensils. Umbrian canvas woven on a loom, the only ones not directly produced in the region, though within the same cultural context. Olive wood cutting boards…

TOSCANA LOVERS SHOPS IN SIENA, CORTONA, AND BAGNO VIGNONI

The first store – Toscana Lovers Siena – is located a few meters from Piazza del Campo in the noble Contrada dell’Oca. Not far away is the house where Saint Catherine was born in 1347. We are therefore in the medieval heart of Siena, where the city’s three districts (Tre Terzi) intersect. The building that houses the store was originally a convent, then, like the entire Fontebranda district, it was used for artisan workshops and trade. It was here that the grandparents of Carlo Gardini, Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s husband, had their leather shop.

 

On March 24, 2016, the second Toscana Lovers store opened in Bagno Vignoni, a jewel nestled in the Val d’Orcia, a small UNESCO World Heritage site that has become a cult destination for wellness enthusiasts thanks to its exclusivity and history. The next Toscana Lovers store opened on April 1, 2018, in Cortona, the most American of Tuscany’s small art cities, known for the novel “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Francis Mayes. It is also the birthplace of Jovanotti and, in 1596, of Luca Berettini, known as “da Cortona.”