Blog: Discover Italy

History of the Raffaellesco Deruta Pattern The Raffaellesco pattern, renowned for its central motif of the benevolent dragon, surrounded by intricate floral arabesques in a bright color palette of yellow, blue and green, is one of the most famous and enduring styles of Italian Deruta ceramics. Originating in the 16th-century, the Raffaellesco decoration takes its name and inspiration from the “grotesque” style of the famous Renaissance painter Raffaello Sanzio, otherwise known as Rap …

How To Identify Authentic Hand-Crafted Italian Pottery I don’t know about you, but I love shopping at HomeGoods. You never know what treasures you will come upon. Quite often I find Italian ceramic tableware and the prices appear too good to be true. However, buyers beware!! These Italian ceramic plates, bowls and other items for sale at HomeGoods are NOT handcrafted, artisan pottery, but mass-produced industrial pottery. What is the difference between artisan pottery and mass-produced ind …

Italian Roosters - Good Luck, Prosperity & Protection Since the Italian Renaissance, there has been a long tradition of associating roosters with good luck.  This all stems back to an unsuccessful assassination attempt on one of the most notorious families in Italian history – The Medici. The Medici were a powerful Italian banking family that ruled Florence and Tuscany for centuries (c. 1434–1737). They were synonymous with the Renaissance, funding great artists li …