The Florence Pottery Experience: Factory Tour & Masterclass
A hands-on pottery experience 20 minutes from Florence — in a family workshop with five generations of Tuscan potters.
★ 4.9 · 621+ reviews across Airbnb, Viator, Google and GetYourGuide · Awarded Airbnb Best Experience in Italy 2025 ❤️
Not a tourist activity. A real working bottega.
Most pottery classes in Florence happen in rooms designed for pottery classes. This one happens in a working ceramic workshop in Montelupo Fiorentino, the town that has supplied Florence’s ceramics for seven hundred years. La Galleria is our family bottega. My father Salvatore has been at the wheel for fifty years, and he is still the one who teaches every session. My grandfather Sebastiano started the workshop after moving from Sicily in the 1960s. I am Matteo, fifth generation, and I will welcome you at the door. What you will do here is not a simplified version of the craft. It is the real thing, adapted so that someone who has never touched clay before can leave with a piece they made themselves — and understand, at least in part, what it took to make it.
What You Will Do, Step by Step
In a couple hours you will get fully into the daily life of a pottery maker in Italy.
Tour a pottery factory
Your experience begins with a tour of our production space, where you will see every step of the ceramic-making process: raw clay turned into shapes, dried, fired, and painted by hand into traditional Tuscan majolica. You will meet the artisans at work and see the techniques that have been used here for generations. Transport from our shop to the factory is included.
Sit at the Wheel with Salvatore
Then it is your turn. My father Salvatore — fifty years at the wheel — will sit with you and guide you as you shape your own piece. Never touched clay before? He will take you from zero to a finished form. Already a potter? He will share the techniques that come from a lifetime of Italian craftsmanship. He reads your level and works with it.
We Finish and Ship Your Piece
Once your session is over, we take care of everything: firing, hand-glazing, and shipping to your home anywhere in the world — all included in the price. About two months later, a piece of Tuscany you made with your own hands shows up at your door.
The more of you, the better — and the cheaper per person!
Everything is included: raw clay, working clothes, ceramic wheel, small-group factory tour, transport by private vehicle, double firing and glazing, and worldwide shipping of your finished piece. Nothing extra to pay.
The only optional cost is if you decide to order additional ceramics from the shop during your visit — and because shipping is already included, you get those at a very special price.
What is included:
✓ Raw clay, working clothes and ceramic wheel
✓ Small-group tour inside our working factory
✓ Transport by private vehicle from the shop to the factory
✓ Lesson at the wheel with master potter Salvatore
✓ Double firing and hand-glazing of your piece
✓ Worldwide shipping — your piece arrives home
Good to know:
– Duration: 2 hours
– Difficulty: Easy — no experience needed
– Languages: English and Italian
– Maximum 6 guests per session (contact us to add more people!)
– Minimum age: 7 years old
– Free cancellation up to 1 days before
– Meeting point: Corso Garibaldi 74, Montelupo Fiorentino
This is a family workshop in every sense of the word. When you come for the experience, these are the people you will meet.
I am the person who will welcome you at the shop. I will guide you through the factory, tell you the story of this place, and make sure your visit feels like coming to see a friend who happens to make ceramics. I also serve as President of CNA Toscana Ceramisti, the regional association of Tuscan ceramic artisans.
You will work with my father. Fifty years at the wheel, trained by my grandfather Sebastiano, he is recognized as one of the finest wheel-throwers in town.
Hear from our satisfied customers who have experienced the quality and value of the experience!
4.9 out of 5 across 621 reviews on Airbnb, Viator, Google and GetYourGuide.
This experience was truly one of a kind. Matteo was incredibly welcoming, and his passion for ceramics, the craft, the area, and the people made it unforgettable. His father was a fantastic teacher with a great sense of humor. Highly recommend!
Kylie, Janesville, Wi · via Airbnb
We just returned from the ceramic workshop tour, and what can I say? It was a highlight of our trip. I love pottery, especially Italian hand-painted pieces, and this did not disappoint. Matteo walked us through the entire production process and we watched the artisans at work. Every piece is made by hand, and they even produce for brands like Williams Sonoma. Then Matteo’s father taught us how to make our own bowls at the wheel. I highly recommend it.
Alexandra, Washington, DC · via Airbnb
The ceramic tour with Matteo and his father was fantastic. They took us to their factory where they explained and showed us every step of making ceramic pieces. Seeing the delicate hand-painted designs was incredible. Then we had a small ceramic lesson with his father, who showed us how to make a clay bowl on the wheel. A fantastic experience and Matteo is an amazing host.
Alba, Munich, Germany · via Airbnb
How to Get to the Workshop from Florence
By train:
From Florence Santa Maria Novella, take any regional train toward Empoli or Pisa. Get off at Montelupo-Capraia — the third stop. The ride takes about 20 minutes, and trains run frequently throughout the day. From the station, our workshop on Corso Garibaldi 74 is a short walk along the river. No transfers, no bus, no organized excursion required.
La Galleria Ceramics
Corso Garibaldi, 74 – 50056 Montelupo fiorentino (Firenze)
By car:
If you prefer to drive, there is free parking next to the Ceramics Museum, just two minutes on foot from our door.
This is the link to the parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PaGrukKSySEDzd7A6
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Put Your Hands in Clay?
Pick a date, and we will take care of the rest.
Sessions fill up fast, so if you have a specific day in mind, book early.
And if you have questions first, write to me, I will be there for you. 🙂
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