A CLAY diary, kick off meeting in Assisi

Project CLAY involves 6 countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Finland, France) and it was launched with  the partners' main stakeholders and local stakeholders from Umbria Region.

Tuesday 26th June 2018

It was arrival day for the CLAY partners, and we were welcomed in the frame of the ancient City of Assisi. Its most illustrious citizen was Saint Francis. He was born in 1182 and was canonized as a Saint in 1228, only two years after his death, by Pope Gregory IX.

It was also preparation day for the advisory partner AEuCC: Viola Emaldi, director of the ceramics vocational training institute of Faenza and curator of the exhibition, set up the Grand Tour exhibition, composed by traditional pieces of ceramics from all over Italy. 

Wednesday 27th June 2018

Steering group and Interregional learning

During the morning we got to know each other, presented our regions and appreciated the Grand Tour exhibition, in Monte Frumentario palace (built in 1267, it was the ancient hospital of the city). Following the lead of Region Umbria, the first Steering group discussed the project working methods, an overview of financial management procedures and communication activities.

Study visit

In the afternoon we focussed on Tradition, visiting the ceramic city of Gualdo Tadino, and in particular the Rubboli Museum, especially important because of the Muffola technique, a unique kiln firing method, suitable for producing metallic lustres.

Thursday 28th of June 2018

Study visit

If the day before was dedicated to ancient techniques and traditional ceramics, on Thursday we visited an innovative and design Ceramic company in Umbertide: Ceramiche Rometti.

More than 90% of Rometti revenue comes from foreign markets and they keep a balance between innovation and tradition, buildig a strong brand identity.

For instance, they use natural clay from the Tiber River, whose origins date back to Roman times, and they use the antique method of making ceramics used by the original Rometti. At the same time, they work to create original and innovative objects, blending design and craftsmanship.

Launch event

The afternoon was dedicated to the Launch event “Revive Ceramics”, managed by Regione Umbria, that presented an overview of the project to an audience of stakeholders of the ceramics sector and shared a number of expert inputs on the theme of innovation in ceramics.

Steering group

The kick off meeting ended with the second part of the steering group, which saw the partners gathering for a round up and conclusions from the Kick-Off meeting, planning the future actions.