The manufacturing of terracotta in Impruneta dates back to the first Etruscan settlements in Tuscany (named after the Etruscans) in roughly 800BC, or roughly 3,000 years ago.
The first association of "mezzinai" (terracotta jar makers) was incorporated in 1308, near the modern neighborhood of Pieve di Santa Maria in Impruneta. During the Renaissance, numerous artists set up workshops in Impruneta, including Brunelleschi, Donatello and Andrea del Verrocchio. The tiles that cover the top of the Duomo in Florence were made in Impruneta. The famous Della Robbia family build and operated their own furnace to make many of the masterpieces found throughout Italy.
In the following 500 years, production in Impruneta has gone on to include sculptures, statues, columns, coats of arms, and various architectural ornaments and tiles, making it the true center of the terracotta community.
Passing from generation to generation, the Mariani family has maintained their Traditional Wood-Fired Kiln and Production Methods, along with their own sense of style and artistry. Numerous forms and moulds have been created over the decades, which are used today.
Today, we are lucky to be able to enjoy these wonderful and traditional works of artistry that connect us both to our past, and to ancient traditions still being maintained in the modern world.
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