 In a valley rich in oak trees lies Urbania (or Casteldurante as it was called until the seventeenth century) whose main sights are the Ducal Palace that features a museum and a library with maps by Mercator; the Church of the Dead, with macabre, natural mummies from the Middle Ages and the typical marchigiano medieval walls. What makes Urbania so special however are its virtuoso majolica artists and delicate painted earthenware that won it popularity in Renaissance times when over 40 kilns were working in the hamlet along with a large number of potters who produced such exquisite vases and plates to have been among the most treasured preys to pottery collectors’ and museums of all times.
Today the workshops of Urbania combine tradition and innovation and are organised into sections dedicated to the moulding, decoration and restoration processes using the same kilns and technology used long ago. High quality handmade ceramics, some of them replicas of the original XV and XVI pieces, as well as modern collectible items to suit everybody’s taste are displayed in the bountiful shops of the town. Visitors are encouraged to have a go at creating their own items after watching live demonstrations by local artists. The club <Amici della Ceramica> organise summer and winter residential courses for those who wish to learn the art of pottery. Alternatively, we suggest that you visit the impressive Barco Museum - a centre for teaching and practicing artistic handcrafts established in memory of the local artist and master of Renaissance ceramics Cipriano Piccolpasso - author of the didactical treatise The Three Books of the Art of the Potter which in 1861 was purchased by the South Kensington Museum in London, now the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is still kept up. How would you like some hands-on experience?
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