About this tour
This two-hour pottery experience transports you from Florence's crowded centre to Montelupo Fiorentino, a village that has been shaping ceramics for over seven centuries. You'll tour a working factory where Salvatore and his team handcraft every piece, then take a seat at the wheel yourself to create something tangible to take home. Your finished work gets fired, glazed, and shipped worldwide—a genuine souvenir born from your own hands rather than a shop shelf.
Highlights
- Meet a third-generation pottery family still working the clay
- Watch hand-painting techniques refined across decades
- Throw your own piece on a traditional pottery wheel
- Double-fired and hand-glazed by master artisans
- Finished work shipped to your home anywhere globally
- Option to commission custom pieces from the factory
- Twenty-minute train ride from central Florence
What to expect
You'll travel by car to Montelupo Fiorentino, arriving at an active pottery workshop where clay dust and the hum of the wheel are part of the daily rhythm. Salvatore will show you around the factory floor, pointing out techniques and discussing the work his family has done for generations. Then you sit down at the wheel with an instructor who guides your hands through centring clay and pulling up walls. Don't expect gallery-ready results—expect the honest wobble and character of a first attempt. Your piece goes into the kiln that day and returns finished within weeks, posted to you anywhere in the world.
Good to know
Wear clothes you don't mind getting clay on. The workshop is accessible to all fitness levels and welcomes children with adult supervision. Prams are fine if needed. You'll need about fifteen minutes to actually throw; the rest is factory tour and conversation. Custom orders can ship in the same box as your own work.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.