How to make handmade Tuscan Ceramic: a course with a master potter in Montelupo

I wish I could give this experience more than 5 stars. This was one of my favorite memories of my trip to Italy. La galleria makes you feel at home in their studio you feel like you are part of their family! We had so much fun admiring all the amazing pieces and creating our own pieces. I highly recommend this experience!

The tour was great! And the people were Great too, thanks for everything :) I enjoyed the history of Montelupo pottery!

This was definitely the highlight of my trip to Florence. I can’t thank Matteo and his family enough. They were so friendly and welcoming throughout the whole experience. I was nervous about having to take the train to the outskirts of town but Matteo was amazing and helped me figure out which train to take and how to get to Montelupo without any issues. Matteo met me in person at the train station and gave me a wonderful tour of the workshop and factory. It was really interesting to see and learn how some of these talented artists produce all their works of art by hand. After visiting the factory and showroom, Matteo drove us back to the shop where I got to personally learn how to make my own piece with his amazing father. I had a pretty specific bowl I wanted to make and he did not hesitate to help me measure and shape my piece exactly like I had envisioned. Matteo’s mother was also so nice to help me decide on the colour and design my piece will have when it is ready to be glazed. Thank you again Matteo to you and your family for such a great experience. This is definitely something I will never forget.

This was a dream come true. I was looking for something to do on my Birthday while we were in Italy on vacation. Everything was wonderful the tour was spectacular and the lesson was amazing! Once they realized it was my Birthday they very quietly put together a spur of the moment birthday snack complete with a candle. I was able to make a piece and Matteo and family are going to fire, glaze and ship it to me in the states. It doesn't get much better than this!!!

I was arriving by train from Florence and know very little Italian. They met me at the train station walked me to their shop. The mother was there to greet us warmly and showed me around the shop. I felt so warmly welcomed.The son, Matteo, speaks very good English. He took me on a tour of their factory, showing me the entire process and introduced me to some of the people working there. Each piece is hand painted and they put out thousands of beautiful pieces of ceramics weekly. We then went back to the shop where a wheel was set up for the father to give me a throwing lesson. He was very patient and I ended up with a decent looking pot which they will glaze and fire and mail to me at home at no extra cost. It was so much fun and the family is very warm and gracious. What a great adventure!

My husband and I wanted to book some things to do while staying in Italy so I suggested a pottery making class-searched on google and found this one. It was a quick hop on the train from Florence and the town was lovely as well. Matteo was a great host and I loved seeing the shop to see how the pottery is made behind the scenes. We can’t wait to get our handmade pieces and the additional one we ordered from the showroom! It was definitely an interesting experience since it’s not something you do everyday. I’ll be able to look at our pieces and remember our trip to Italy and Montelupo.

Matteo and his family were extraordinarily kind and inviting! Matteo was so patient and spoke excellent English. My daughter (17) and I loved using the pottery wheel and got to make some really great pottery. Matteo's father showed us how to make the pottery and was an amazing teacher--we really got to make it on our own with some help! It was so great to get out of the touristy area and spend some time in Montelupo. Matteo met us at the train station and gave us a private tour of the ceramic factory. We were staying in Florence and is is an easy 20 min train to Montelupo and the shop is right near the station! The family's pottery was absolutely breath taking. After we made our pottery, we enjoyed walking around Montelupo and had a delicious lunch and some great gelato! TRULY AMAZING I cannot reiterate enough how warm the family is! Great hands on experience! We had so much fun, and will have our beautiful pottery pieces to remind us of this special experience!

We had a wonderful morning with Matteo and his family, getting hands-on and eyes-on the beautiful pottery that the family has been making for generations. They were charming, welcoming and understanding of our lack of Italian and lack of skill. We went to see the 'factory' where the work is all made, then spent time with Matteo's father who is the master potter. My daughter and I both made pots on the kiln, guided by the master! We had been staying in Florence and took a few hours away to come to Montelupo...this turned into the highlight of our trip. Highly recommended!