History of Sicilian ceramics from Caltagirone: a journey from the Neolithic period to the present day

The history of ancient Sicilian ceramics and noble art: the fate of a city

The Sicilian ceramics of Caltagirone is an ancient artisan art of the island, which was born in the Neolithic and continues to the present day: in fact, the ceramics of Caltagirone are highly appreciated all over the world, making the city the centerpiece of Sicilian craftsmanship.

Caltagirone: brief historical notes

The town of Caltagirone rises at 611 meters above sea level, between the Erei and the Ibliei mountains, in the center of Sicily, falls within the territory in the province of Catania and in the so-called Val di Noto.

Since 2002 the Val di Noto has been included by UNESCO in the World Heritage List.

The site has been called: "The late Baroque cities of the Val di Noto (south-eastern Sicily)". The eight cities of south-east Sicily: Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli.

Caltagirone has very ancient origins, evidence of human presence in the area, are the prehistoric necropolises (Eneolithic 2000-1800 BC Eneolithic 2000-1800 BC) of the Rocca, della Montagna, Salvatorello, delle Pille; other finds testify to the presence of Sicilian-Greek inhabitants (VII-III century BC) in the areas of S. Mauro, Altobrando, Piano Casazze.

As in all of Sicily, several dominations have taken place in Caltagirone: after the Greek Sicilian period, there are signs of Roman, Byzantine and Saracen domination.

It was the Genoese in 1030 who liberated the city, as an act of gratitude to the Calatini, they affixed the red crusader shield on a white field in the breast of the eagle (coat of arms of the city), supported by two griffins, symbol of the Maritime Republic. The Genoese in turn, to reciprocate, had a temple built in San Giorgio.

Subsequently, Caltagirone was dominated by the Muslims, from which it was freed by the Grand Count Roger the Norman on 25 July 1090, the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates the martyrdom of San Giacomo Maggiore. The Count had invoked the help of the Apostle and attributed the victory to his intercession so that San Giacomo became patron of Caltagirone.

After the Norman domination, the city was colonized by the Swabians and then by the Angevins, it was the Sicilian Vespers who liberated, not only Caltagirone, but all of Sicily from the French domination of the Angevins.

Caltagirone, in the following centuries, lived very flourishing periods, both from a cultural and artistic point of view, until 1693 when the territory was hit by a terrible earthquake.

The Val di Noto earthquake of 9 and 11 January is one of the most catastrophic events that has hit Sicily, the seismic event caused the total destruction of over 45 inhabited centers, causing about 60,000 victims. Other similar earthquakes occurred in 1169 and 1908.

The reconstruction period began, maintaining the late Renaissance layout represented by the crux viarum, consisting vertically of the Scala Santa Maria del Monte and the Corso, and horizontally by the streets of S. Giorgio and San Giacomo, crux represented in the heraldic coat of arms of the city.

The reconstruction gave rise to the current aspect of the city of Caltagirone.

common coat of arms of Caltagirone and staircase Santa Maria del Monte

Caltagirone: city of ceramics

The name Caltagirone derives from the Arabic term Qal’at al Ghiran, whose literal translation is "Rocca dei Vasi".

The city of Caltagirone is closely linked to the history of ceramics, with this term, which derives from the Greek keramos (clay, pottery), the objects produced are modeled by modeling the earth (clay) and cooking it.

The processing of ceramics in the Caltagirone area dates back to the Neolithic period, as can be seen from the archaeological finds kept in the Regional Museum of Ceramics in Caltagirone.

The footprint of the various peoples who colonized Sicily over the centuries (Phoenicians, Carthaginian Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Spaniards and French) is also perceived in the working of ceramics, despite the fact that the potters in their art have always brought out Sicilianity.

The art of working with Sicilian ceramics has been handed down from generation to generation from prehistory to the present day, in the artisan production everything is done by hand from extraction to modeling, the peculiarities of the product depend on the skills of the master ceramist, his creativity, the attention to detail which guarantees the exclusivity of the piece. For this reason ceramic objects, such as traditional Sicilian pine cones and like dark brown heads are real works of art.

Ceramics and the 4 natural elements

ceramic and the 4 natural elements

The processing of Sicilian ceramics is the primitive art of knowing how to dominate the 4 natural elements: air, water, earth and fire.

 An ancient know-how, which has been handed down from generation to generation from prehistory to