Deruta

Deruta is situated in Umbria, rated one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. It’s one of the most famous centres for ceramics production in all world, and for sure, all visitors who are interested in hand-painted pottery won’t be disappointed.

In this beautiful place you can find numerous shops, offering a wide range of Deruta ceramics at competitive prices. Ceramics production is carried out as a cottage industry, with unbaked clay plates, bowls and other objects being brought in to the ovens to be baked and then taken away again to be hand-painted, before being brought back once more for glazing.The artistic quality of the decoration varies and it is better to visit several shops before the final purchase.

History of Deruta

The origins of the town are for the most part obscure. Deruta is situated between Perugia, which acts as a powerful bastion to the south ,and Todi, another fortified town further south towards Rome. In the second half of the 15 C, the town is destroyed by plague, and the city walls collapsed through lack of maintenance.

During the wars 1540, Deruta, which has aligned itself against the Pope, was attacked and devastated. However, affiliation of Perugia to the Church also brought a long period of peace to Deruta. In that period, Deruta became famous for the high quality of its majolica.

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Tour of Deruta

Porta di S. Michele Arcangelo is the entrance In historical centre of Deruta. In the small Piazza Biordo Michelotti you can to find gotho-romanesque church of S. Arcangelo, in front of which there is a polygonal fountain dating from 1848. Next is Piazza dei Consoli, where is located the Palazzetto Municipale, dating from 1300, its atrium houses a collection of Etruscan archaeological finds and neolithic.Here is also the Pinacoteca and the Museum of Ceramics.

The Pinacoteca contains an important collection of paintings originating from the churches of S. Francesco, S. Antonio, etc. The Museum of Ceramics houses a magnificent display of ceramic works art.In the squre is the gothic Church of S. Francesco. In the top of Piazza Cavour is situated small church of Madonna del Divino Amore, today known as Madonna della Cerasa.

Along the main road one sees the small church of Madonna delle Piagge dating from 1601, the beautiful facade of which is adorned with amazing majolica.