ThereArtistic ceramics of Caltagirone It is a type of ceramic elaborated in the center of the same name in Sicily. It is one of the best known ceramics in the world, as well as one of the most documented and stylistically varied.
Ceramics of Caltagirone: History and curiosity
The ceramic of Caltagirone was born in Sicily under the Arab domination that took place around the year 827 AD But over the centuries he has undergone Greek, Byzantine, Roman, Arabic influences.
Today the ceramics of Caltagirone are highly appreciated and known all over the world, making the city famous for its artisan art and raising the production of ceramics with among the most profitable activities on the island.
Let's discover the origins of this art and we see how ceramic has made the city of Caltagirone great.
The name Caltagirone derives from the Arabic term Qal'at al Ghiran, which literally translates into "Rocca dei Vasi".
A name that already makes it clear how much the ceramic tradition is rooted and ancient in this city that stands in the center of Sicily, in the province of Catania, between the Erei and the Iblei mountains, in the so -called Val di Noto, since 2002 declared by UNESCO Heritage of humanity.
The ceramics of Caltagirone: birth and development
The history of the city of Caltagirone is closely linked to ceramic, which has become here over the centuries an art handed down in generations Up to give prestige to the city on a world scale.
The most characteristic symbols of Sicily were born from the encounter of these cultures: the Trinacria, the Moro heads, the pine cone, all symbols underlying the Caltagironese ceramic representations.
The influence of dominant peoples is also visible also in the actual processing of ceramics. Just think that it is following the Greek domination that is inserted the use of the lathe, revolutionizing the activity of the Sicilian craftsmen who first did everything manually.
For several centuries, the Ceramics of Caltagirone He lived a particularly flourishing period that lasted several centuries, up to the earthquake that shocked the Valle di Noto in 1693, destroying the city and centuries of ceramic history.
However, the disaster followed a period of reconstruction and rebirth in which the ceramic once again found to hold a leading position: craftsmen and artists contributed to the reconstruction of the city producing beautiful and original majolica That today it is also possible to admire simply by walking through the streets of Caltagirone.
To date, therefore, we can say that the production of ceramics has never stopped, indeed, always lives new enhancements with the opening of new markets that make it appreciate more and more worldwide
Caltagirone has been taking the center of the ceramist art for over 2000 years and we can say that still today, in the world, it has no equal.
