Ceramiche Pinto

The sheer cliffs plunge into a turquoise Mediterranean Sea at Torre Crestarella near Positano along the Amalfi Coast. In this dramatic landscape that plays out from the high mountain ridges above the Amalfi Coast Drive down to the sea are a handful of southern Italian fishing villages scattered like jewels along the coast. Many of you will remember the towns of Positano, Vietri sul Mare, Maiori, Minori, and crowning it all, Ravello from its high perch just west of Minori. These and many other towns are ripe with stories and images from the traditional fishing and sailing days of the coast, still evident in the colorful fishing boats and seafood restaurants dotted throughout the coast.

Pinto and the Artisan Floor Tile

Industrial Italian floor tiles in the last few years have pervaded every corner of earth. Ceramiche Pinto is one of the few artisan floor tile factories still in existence. Vietri sul Mare, and its numerous ceramic factories still in existence today, used to be a lively center of handpainted and handmolded pottery of all shapes and uses. Practically every family and person in the town had ties in one or the other of the many ceramic factories of the area.

Ceramiche Pinto, 1945

Through the centuries, and up until a few years ago, Pinto floor tiles were not only hand painted, but also hand molded, as the image above shows. Still today the factory produces completely artisanal tiles made somewhat like these ancient photographs depict. The clay was collected and prepared in special vats from which it was molded and fired in the kiln. These artisanal tiles are today used mostly as decorative or accent pieces because of the imperfect geometry that characterizes the finished product. However, many customers seek this kind of completely hand made tile that today has acquired value because of its rarity.

Hand Painted Industrial Tiles

In these images, you can see a tile that was baked and subsequently is being glazed. It will then be hand painted as the image on the right shows. Today, Pinto has much request for hand painted tiles on an industrial type of tile base. This allows for the laying of tiles on a floor that will allow for a perfect square when trying to tile a square floor or wall. The Pinto hand painted tiles like the one being decorated here, or the ones shown below that are part of the 85 series, are complex and obviously hand painted. An interesting phenomenon existing today is the creation of single color tiles that are hand painted by Pinto, but computer generated by other companies that are attempting to cut costs. These computer generated single color tiles look like they were hand brushed on with all the differences and nuances of a hand painted tile. Pinto says their customers are still today looking for a genuinely hand painted tile where they know that a computer was not involved, and give value to the creation by a ceramics artist.

Glazing a large Vase

Pinto artisans at work glazing a large vase in a bathtub. Ceramiche Pinto, Vietri sul Mare.
view movie (QuickTime, 3250570)

Painting a Floor Tile

Ceramist at work on a potters wheel and hand painting a floor tile. Ceramiche Pinto, Vietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast.
view movie (QuickTime, 3255645)

Pinto Mosaic Tiles

Pinto artisan at work painting a large mosaic composed of several tiles. Pinto factory, Vietri sul Mare.
view movie (QuickTime, 7973906)