Lava from Mount Etna and handmade terracotta belong to Sicily’s cultural heritage.
The techniques come from the past, the aesthetics from the present.
Painted terracotta
Like a white canvas, terracotta tiles are coated with opaque enamels or gloss paints made of pigments and applied using a brush.
Painted lava stone
Cold decorations applied with a paint brush and high-temperature melting with lava stone is the starting point to create new chromatic rhythms.
Combed lava stone
An experimental technique that originates from the study of the marks left by a tool that resembles a brush or comb.
Graffito lava stone
This technique uses an awl to remove some of the enamel from the surface.
Scratched lava stone
The engraver’s work, i.e. the regular marks it leaves on a surface, inspired this aesthetic genre.
Processing lava stone
Stone processing
Blocks of lava stone extracted from quarries on Mount Etna are processed into slabs, cut to size and left to dry naturally in the open air.
Enamelling
The enamel is applied by hand using an airbrush or by means of the ancient “bell” technique. It is dried naturally. Our company has also started a conversion process to use only low chemical hazard enamels.
Decorating
Surfaces are decorated freehand or using stencils backed up by the knowledge of ancient techniques that respect the culture and traditions of the city of Caltagirone.
Firing in a kiln
Our enamelled and decorated tiles are fired in an electric muffle kiln at a melting temperature of about 950°.
Processing hand-made terracotta
Casting in moulds
Clay and water are mixed to a very liquid consistency and then poured into moulds by hand and left to dry naturally. It is then fired at 1100° so that the clay turns into terracotta.
Enamelling
This is performed by applying enamel using the traditional “bell” method: each tile travels through a cascade of enamel which deposits the right, quantity evenly on its surface. This method exploits the potter’s ability to pour the liquid enamel on the tile from a jug. It is then dried naturally.
Decorating by hand
The surfaces are decorated freehand or by using a stencil. This workmanship is based on ancient techniques that respect the culture and traditions of the city of Caltagirone.
Firing in a kiln
To fully respect the environment, our company uses only electric kilns. This type of firing guarantees the best possible enamelling results on products, preventing materials from mixing together.