Buongiorno Ceramica! Grottaglie
The widespread festival of Italian ceramics in the heart of the Ceramics Quarter
About Buongiorno Ceramica!
A festival born from clay
Buongiorno Ceramica! is the major widespread festival of Italian artistic and artisanal ceramics, promoted by AiCC (Italian Association of Ceramics Cities). Over a single weekend in May, more than sixty municipalities across the peninsula - from Faenza to Deruta, from Caltagirone to Grottaglie - simultaneously open their workshops, museums, and squares to share the oldest and most vibrant craft of Italian know-how with the public. In Grottaglie, in the province of Taranto, the event finds one of its natural capitals: the Apulian city has been synonymous with ceramics for centuries, and its Ceramics Quarter - a maze of caves, workshops, and courtyards carved into the ravine - becomes an open-air laboratory for the occasion.
The Ceramics Quarter takes center stage
During the festival, the Ceramics Quarter is closed to traffic and returned to pedestrians: you can stroll among the masters' workshops, watch the pottery wheels in motion, and enter the studios where the famous pumi, majolica, and decorated plates that have made Grottaglie world-famous are born. The city's other iconic landmarks revolve around the quarter: the Castello Episcopio, home to the Ceramics Museum, the Antico Convento dei Cappuccini, and Palazzo De Felice.
Workshops, pottery wheels, and tradition
The heart of the initiative is direct public participation. With "Ceramicist for a day", anyone can get their hands on clay, guided by master ceramicists, at the outdoor pottery wheel stations set up along the streets of the quarter. There are also workshops for children, "games of yesteryear", guided museum tours with live demonstrations, and paths dedicated to the city's great ceramic collections.
Taste and celebration
- "Buongiorno al piatto": a gastronomic journey that combines ceramics with cuisine, featuring tastings and stories linked to local culinary tradition, served strictly on Grottaglie ceramics;
- Music among the ceramics: the Banda Città di Grottaglie enlivens the alleys with its traveling music;
- Exhibitions and collections: from the majolica of the Castello Episcopio to the historic collection of ceramic presepi (nativity scenes) at Palazzo De Felice.
A predominantly free-entry event, curated by the Culture and Tourism departments of the Municipality of Grottaglie together with local associations and master artisans, Buongiorno Ceramica! is the ideal opportunity to discover the artisanal soul of Puglia and experience one of the region's most defining traditions.
Buongiorno Ceramica! — edition 2026
The 12th edition of Buongiorno Ceramica! in Grottaglie took place on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, 2026, as part of the national widespread festival promoted by AiCC, which involved over sixty ceramic cities across Italy. For two days, the Ceramics Quarter was closed to traffic and transformed into an open-air laboratory, with workshops open, pottery wheel demonstrations, and meetings with master artisans.
Among the involved locations were the Ceramics Museum at Castello Episcopio, the Antico Convento dei Cappuccini with its workshops, and Palazzo De Felice with its collection of ceramic nativity scenes. The event, with mostly free admission, was curated by the Municipality of Grottaglie together with local associations and master ceramicists.
Programme Buongiorno Ceramica! 2026
Saturday, May 23, 2026
- 10:30-12:30 — "Games of yesteryear": activities and workshops for children by the Grott'Art association;
- 10:15 — Castello Episcopio (Ceramics Museum): themed guided tour;
- 11:15 — Castello Episcopio: pottery wheel demonstration with master Francesco Carriero;
- 17:00-20:00 — "Ceramicist for a day": ten outdoor pottery wheel stations active on Via Crispi, free workshop guided by master ceramicists (by TorniAmo APS);
- 17:30 — Castello Episcopio: themed guided tour and pottery wheel demonstration;
- 17:30-19:30 — Palazzo De Felice: "The Nativity Scenes" collection, over 200 ceramic nativity scenes from all over Italy (free entry).
Sunday, May 24, 2026
- 10:00-13:00 — "Ceramicist for a day": pottery wheel stations on Via Crispi;
- 10:15 — Castello Episcopio: themed guided tour;
- 11:15 — Castello Episcopio: pottery wheel demonstration;
- 17:30 — Castello Episcopio: themed guided tour;
- 18:00-20:00 — "Games of yesteryear": activities for children in the quarter;
- 17:30-19:30 — Palazzo De Felice: "The Nativity Scenes" collection.
Both days
- "Buongiorno al piatto" — gastronomic journey with tastings of local tradition served on ceramics (by Slow Food Grottaglie Vigne e Ceramiche);
- Ceramic workshops at the Antico Convento dei Cappuccini (by the Ex Frantoio association);
- Ceramics Museum at Castello Episcopio open 10:00-13:00 and 16:00-19:00, with guided tours and demonstrations;
- Music among the ceramics with the Banda Città di Grottaglie traveling through the quarter;
- open workshops, live demonstrations, and meetings with artisans throughout the Ceramics Quarter.
Highlights Buongiorno Ceramica! 2026
Prices Buongiorno Ceramica! 2026
Practical information — Buongiorno Ceramica!
Where
Ceramics Quarter, Castello Episcopio (Ceramics Museum), Antico Convento dei Cappuccini, and Palazzo De Felice, Grottaglie (TA), Puglia.
How to get there
By car: take the Grottaglie exit on the SS7 Taranto-Brindisi road. By train: Grottaglie station on the Taranto-Brindisi line. Nearest airport: Brindisi-Casale, about 40 km away.
Admission
Most activities are free of charge. During the festival, the Ceramics Quarter is closed to traffic. For bookings and information: [email protected].
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Where does it take place — Buongiorno Ceramica!
Quartiere delle Ceramiche
Quartiere delle Ceramiche, 74023 Grottaglie