National Archaeological Museum houses, in fact, a large and rich collection of artefacts found in archaeological excavations: Etruscan ceramics, in particular buccheri, refined clay-based works, fired in coal, which gives the artefacts their unmistakable black colour, and medieval ceramics with typical decorations of birds, fish and fantastic animals.
Not to be missed, in the archaeological complex of the Pozzo della Cava, is what remains of a medieval workshop, with its kiln, and a Renaissance muffle kiln, used for reverber and lustreware production.
After a period of stagnation, the rediscovery of ceramic craftsmanship was due to Pericle Perali with the art of the Vascellari who contributed, together with the artist Ilario Ciaurro, to its definitive revival.

Deruta majolica is famous worldwide and represents its identity. The local artisans, whose workshops and displays of artefacts characterise the streets of the town, have a tradition, in some cases centuries old, of producing top-quality items.
The first records of Deruta ceramics date back to the 13th century; written sources from 1282 testify to the production of household items. Medieval pottery, from the archaic period, had geometric, floral and zoomorphic decorations in green and brown. Cobalt blue was introduced later.
The heyday was reached between the end of the 15th and mid-16th century, when, also due to the presence of artists such as Perugino, Pinturicchio and Signorelli, Deruta artisans enriched their decorations by drawing inspiration from pictorial art. It was during this period that Deruta's iconic decoration, the Raphaelesque, was born. The artefacts, increasingly precious in terms of colours, shapes and decorations, were commissioned by the major European courts; in the numerous Renaissance workshops, experimentation began on a new technique imported from the Middle East, lustre, which allowed the colours of gold and ruby red to be obtained with changing or iridescent shades.
In the historical centre of the town, the Deruta Ceramics Museum, the oldest Italian museum on the subject, houses a valuable and rich collection with artefacts made over the centuries and hosts sections dedicated to traditional techniques.
 

Gualdo Tadino, located in an area rich in clay quarries and with a strategic position with respect to the Via Flaminia, has produced terracotta artefacts since Roman times.
The first production of ceramics seems to date back to the 14th century, although the characteristic Gualdese majolica became famous in the 16th century, after the spread of the ancient lustre technique in this area. During this period, a number of local ceramists emerged, including the Pignani and Biagioli families, who created long-lived dynasties of majolica makers devoted to the fascinating reflections of gold and ruby.
The Gualdese ceramics tradition is documented in the Rocca Flea Civic Museum, which houses an exhibition of 15th-century artefacts and displays other works dating back to the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century, a period in which Gualdese ceramics found the highest expression in the works of two of the town's important ceramists: Paolo Rubboli and Alfredo Santarelli.
The Opificio Rubboli Museum houses evidence of the family tradition, which began with Paolo Rubboli, and his works in gold, ruby and iridescent colour effects. The artist re-introduced lustreware production in Gualdo, which had been lost at the end of the 17th century.

The technique of applying red and gold lustres on the surface of third-firing ceramics was the basis of Mastro Giorgio's success, an undisputed protagonist of an important historical artistic moment between the 15th and 16th centuries. Gubbio seems to have been the first centre of international success for this precious and secret technique. Mastro Giorgio Andreoli's production was characterised by historiated majolica; his works were commissioned to celebrate important weddings or to exalt the wealth and high social standing of families of the time. These precious artefacts are now preserved in the world's major museums.
The Palazzo dei Consoli Civic Museum houses important collections dedicated to the great Master, to local majolica produced between the 14th and 15th centuries, including the "archaic" production, and to 19th-century and 20th-century productions.

Archaeological excavations in Città di Castello have brought to light ceramic artefacts from ancient times, dating back to the late eighth and sixth centuries B.C., from the protohistoric settlement of Riosecco. Another extraordinary discovery is the Roman villa of Pliny the Younger, known as Villa Pliny in Tuscis, dating back to the 1st century AD. Fragments of black-painted ceramics, numerous amphorae, brick stamps, tableware and various medieval artefacts were found at this site. The finds are kept in the Archaeological Museum set up in the 17th-century Villa Graziani not far from San Giustino.
The 20th century allows us to discover another protagonist of fine ceramics: Dante Baldelli who, after a period at the Rometti Manufactures in Umbertide, opened his own gallery in Città di Castello (Fabbrica Ceramiche Baldelli), continuing here an extremely rich artistic journey in the world of ceramics, which placed him on the international scene. Galleria Baldelli was the second place where Alberto Burri exhibited his works; the two artists also collaborated in the production of some precious works.

Umbertide, like other towns, has a centuries-old tradition of pottery, dating back as far as the 1400s. Unfortunately, many traces of the ancient kilns and workshops were lost in the “siege of Fratta” (the ancient name for Umbertide) in 1643 by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
However, the tradition remained alive, particularly in the early 1920s, when the modern interpretations of the prestigious Ceramiche Rometti manufactory made Umbertide an important national reality.
The innovative techniques and decorations of the company, founded in 1927 by Settimio and Aspromonte Rometti, contributed to revolutionising the Italian ceramics sector. In addition to the founders, numerous artists collaborated in this creative forge: Cagli, Baldelli, Di Giacomo, Leoncillo Pozzi and Liliane Lijn.

1947 saw the birth of another company, Ceramiche Pucci, founded by Domenico Pucci, which operated until 1962. Their artefacts were mostly practical and functional objects, but characterised by the constant search for imaginative solutions with contemporary artistic trends. This innovative and unique activity also left an indelible mark on the ceramic scene in Umbertide.