The first documents attesting the production of terracotta in the Chianti area date back to the 11th century: an authentic document of the time informs us of the presence of tile producers in the Impruneta area. Around 1300 there was already a local corporation that brought together the artisans for the protection and regulation of terracotta processing. The municipal and parish archives of Impruneta and the State Archives of Florence preserve numerous documentary sources, which show how the production of terracotta, in particular from the fifteenth century until today, has characterized the economy and culture of the Impruneta area.

Impruneta clay

The land of Impruneta is very rich in marl, a particular type of clay with special characteristics of color and resistance, especially to the cold, hence the nickname of “antifreeze terracotta”.

Galestro is extracted from open-air quarries near Impruneta, near Florence, in the valleys of the Ema and Greve rivers.
The extraction area is limited (about 200 km2): for this reason the value of the material remains high!

Iron oxide determines the particular red shade of the finished product, while salts and calcium carbonate guarantee a certain permeability and porosity.
A fundamental characteristic for garden pots or oil jars, in order to prevent water stagnation and ensure a good ventilation inside the container.

The extracted clay, stored in the sun, must be selected and separated from the waste materials manually.
Then the grinding is carried out, with the aid of heavy crushing machinery, to obtain a more or less granular powder, which is then passed through a sieve and stored in silos.

Finally, through mixing machines, a certain amount of water is added to the clay to make it malleable: the skill and experience of the craftsman will guarantee a unique product.

The work of the craftsman on clay

The craftsman from Impruneta works clay according to a centuries-old tradition.

A vase can be formed “as a model”, through plaster molds, on which the material is spread. After about a day (for the material to dry properly) the mold is removed and the product finished by hand.

Alternatively, the “round work” method involves the use of a terracotta mold to which the “colombini” clay is added on the outside. With the use of the lathe, however, it is the piece of clay that turns on itself to be worked. When the earth is firm, the mold is removed and the product is finished by adding borders and decorations.

Finally, there is the “background work” technique, which only a few skilled craftsmen are able to use: it starts from a clay ball, without using molds, but only projects with specific dimensions (height, width). In this case, the clay takes its increasingly defined shape day by day in the hands of the craftsman and it may take a few weeks to complete the job.

Drying and cooking

The products made are left in the air in sheltered places to dry, taking care to avoid fractures and deformations.
It must be borne in mind that the clay, drying up, shrinks, decreasing its volume by about 10-15%.
Then, they are placed in real dryers, like old ovens no longer in use powered by the hot air coming from the cooling of the active ovens.
The products are then introduced into the cooking chamber carefully (one on top of the other, but separated by supports in refractory material).

For firing in the ovens, now powered by methane, it takes about 24 hours to gradually bring the temperature to just under 1000 ° C.
Then it takes about 12 hours to stabilize the material.

Two days after cooking, it is possible to remove the products from the oven and wet them abundantly with water to spread the lime inside, thus preparing them for display and sale.