It has been a busy week and last night we had a great crowd for dinner and caught up with old friends. I love to entertain and have the excuse to try out new recipes and also use beautiful tableware and glass. I tend to collect these from all over the world and on our travels I really enjoy sourcing local artisans who usually have an array of interesting goodies to look at and the only concern is how to get them home again.

We spend most of our summers in Italy visiting the family and also exploring the countryside and other regions of this beautiful country. It was on one such trip that we found this fantastic artisan who has continued the technique of hand painting these very traditionally shaped ceramics.

Not only is the colour and glaze applied using the age old method but the shape of all the ceramics are also time old traditions. Even the colour of the pigments follows the historic pattern. This 150 year old craft using terracotta is still produced today using a hand wheel and as well as rustic tableware they undertake commissions including architectural ornaments, majolica and hearaldic coats of arms.I loved visiting this workshop which was a hive of activity and a treasure trove of beautiful ceramics.