We started our day with a
nice swim and some exercise and of course a cup of coffee. It was a beautiful
day – not a cloud in the sky. We rallied the troops and all headed to the local
little coffee shop / bar and filled up on little pastries, sandwiches, and of
course caffe’! With something in our stomachs it was up and over the hill and
over to Deruta.
Deruta is the ceramics
capital of Italy. The Tiber River flows nearby and with its rich clays the art
of ceramics was developed over the centuries. We were introduced to the
Niccacci family and their wonderful collection of artisans who made up the
studio of CAMA. For years we would visit their studio and showroom and they
would give us a very detailed tour of how their beautiful dishes, plates, cups
and bowls were made. Just last year, the
Mother and Father who started and operated the business have decided to retire
and none of the children want to carry the business on. So this year we would
have a different experience.
The daughter of the family,
Roberta, stayed in contact with me and she agreed to give us a tour of Deruta
and another showroom and studio. The reason I like the Deruta day on my trip is that it shows the passion of these people and their love for their culture and their crafts. If that passion is not apparent throughout this trip, this day helps drive that point home. Everything done in Italy is done with beauty in mind and the ceramic work in Deruta is fantastic. The studio
Roberta took us to was quite good and their work very beautiful but it wasn't the same for me anyway having gone to CAMA for so many years....So I guess things do change here in Italy but definitely much slower.
We watched the potter on the
wheel shaping and molding the clay into a beautiful vase, the painters
delicately creating each scroll, leaf, or dragon with brushpoint precision. It
is truly an art and to see each step of what goes into making a single cup,
vase, or plate, you can appreciate the price and artistic value of each piece. 
We spent some time making our
purchases in the showroom and then Roberta took us on a quick walking tour of
the little hilltown of Deruta. Deruta the town is nothing in comparison to the
pottery it produces and does not have the charm or flair of the other hilltowns
we had seen or were going to see – yet it has its own story and a lovely little
church. 
With the tour complete it was
off to Il Calderone for a nice country lunch in the country. This little chef
is quite the character and he makes some amazing pasta. We enjoyed another 3
hour lunch and we were supposed to then head to Assisi but I could tell
everyone was a bit worn down to se decided to go back to the country houses to
rest and relax.
Instead of going over the
hill north of Tuoro we came in the back way up the Tiber River valley to
Umbertide and then approach our Niccone Valley from the north. This was a lot
nicer and not having to go over the hill was a lot easier on the tummys.
