Deruta pottery: The Salt War in 1540

The Umbria region has got two main towns, Perugia and Terni.

Deruta is under the district of Perugia. 

Wheat is life! Excellent flour and bread in Umbria.

In 1540 Perugia was fighting the Pope on the occasion of the salt war, which originated from the fact that Perugia did not accept another tax on the salt, under the Pope's monopoly, Pope Paul III of the Farnese Family at that time. 

Perugia lost the war and the city was finally submitted to the Pope's domains. As a result, starting at that time, the territory of Perugia boycotted the salt tax. This is why local bread in Deruta and in our region is traditionally salt-free.

In the ceramics art museum of Deruta, you may admire beautiful Renaissance salt dispensers. Salt was something that wealthy families only could afford. 

In the Renaissance, the Deruta ceramics art reached the highest excellence inspired by artists such as Perugino, Pintoricchio, Raffaello, Michelangelo, the best artists who worked for the Popes.                                     

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Saint Valentine

A Valentine All Year Long.
We will write about Terni in February, celebrating Saint Valentine originally from this town. Saint Valentine is going to be among our future appointments in 2011.
Happy New Year!
    

- Original Post by Roberta Niccacci -

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Deruta traditons: The Confraternity of the Rosary

The Virgin of the Rosary

In Deruta in the past Century there was a Confraternity of the Rosary to which the "Derutesi" were very devoted. The only Chapel of the Church of Saint Francis in Deruta is dedicated to the original prayer of the Rosary.

I am showing here the most popular image of this Virgin, which is most familiar to us.
From the iconographic point of view, we may notice the same structure of the Siena pattern: here we have two Saints adoring the Virgin and Child, in the Siena pattern two deer on each side of the fount.

It is interesting to know that this Confraternity was first established in the Renaissance, exactly in 1470 and approved by  Pope Sixtus IV in 1479.

The Virgin of the Rosary is originally from Pompei. The Feast of the "Madonna del Rosario" is on October 7th.

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Along with the rebirth of the Ceramics Art at the end of the 19th Century, the Derutesi brought back  religious traditions originally from the Renaissance, the age of refungence of their artistry.

Deruta Maiolica: The Sanctuary of the "Madonna dei Bagni" in Deruta

On the way to Rome and in the territory of Deruta there is a Sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, known as "Madonna dei Bagni".

The inside walls of the Church are fully decorated with ceramics plaques of "Ex-voto" (tr. fulfillments of a vow, votive offerings) from the 17th century to nowadays.

The plaques of this Church are distincted by the acronym: PGR  (Per Grazia Ricevuta= in receipt of a miracle) and by the Virgin Mary with Child on an oak tree top.

Local people are very devoted to the Sanctuary, which is a place of election for weddings. My parents got married here on September 15th, 1963. 

Ex voto plaque dated 1543.
Married couple praying the
Virgin Mary.

The tradition of ceramics votive plaques was not new to Deruta. We show here an example of a Renaissance ex-voto plaque belonging to the Commune of Deruta.

Credit: Deruta Ceramics Museum.
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By visiting the Sanctuary of the "Madonna del Bagno" (Original name of the Church, tr."The Virgin of the Fount"),  you may have the opportunity of studying 350 years of evolution of the ceramics art of Deruta. Also interesting from the social and anthropological point of view. The Church is an open museum!

Deruta pottery: "Chi lava il capo all'asino, perde il ranno e il sapone".

Renaissance saying on the armchair, dated 1556.
Credit: Deruta Ceramics Museum.

                   CHI LAVA IL CAPO ALL'ASINO PERDE RANNO E SAPONE

The English translation of this famous Italian proverb is: He who scrubs the head of a donkey wastes both soap and ashes (which means that it is very difficult to let someone who is stubborn change his mind. Therefore you waste your time and efforts).

In Italy, a donkey is an animal representing a stubborn person or a person who does not deserve your help and attention. By helping such people, you may receive a kick or more than one in return. 

Armchair's detail

Now let's interpret the Italian saying: 

Soap translates "ranno e sapone". "Ranno" was actually the mixture of boiling water and ashes used to do the laundry with the addition of soap in times past.

Laundry in Deruta and in many villages in Italy was a choral event. There were community founts ("fonti") for the laundry. In my town, this place is on the main street going uptown from the Borgo to the Piazza, on the left side of the street. Indeed we call this street "Le Fonti".

You may find a beautiful example of Renaissance visual interpretation of this proverb at the Ceramics Museum of Deruta, in the shape of a wall plate dated 1556  - CHI LAVA EL CAPO A LASINO SI PERDE OMNI FATIGA (He who scrubs the head of donkey wastes all efforts)

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"Le Fonti" street is currently closed for works of consolidation of the City Walls of Deruta. In order to visit downtown Deruta,  it is necessary to take the street called "Le Cerquelle" (the Street of Little Oaks).

Update April 2011: the street has been reopened.

Blog post updated January 2021.

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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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Filippo Lippi: Sicut salvavit cervus Sanctum Stephanum.

The famous Madonna

by Filippo Lippi

simplified and used 
as a model for

ceramics reproductions
in Deruta.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

We take inspiration from the Siena pattern, the deer and the Biblical Psalm to invite our readers to visit the Cathedral of Prato, in the occasion of an interesting exhibition in this town about the correspondances of arts in the Renaissance.

The Cathedral of Prato is a wonderful example of Renaissance Art. It is dedicated to Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen) and its walls are painted with the stories of this Saint (fresco cycle).

In particular the story says that a female deer  saved the life of Saint Stephen as a newborn when the Devil exchanged him in his cradle at home with one of his devils and carried the Saint to the woods to die.

The paintings of the Stories of Saint Stephen are by Filippo Lippi who worked in Prato from 1452 to 1465. These frescoes were recently restored (2001-2006) by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage.

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Prato is famous for its fabrics: Now exhibiting at the Fabrics Museum : "Ceramics and fabrics. Dialogue between Renaissance Arts in Tuscany", until February 28th, 2011. online:  www.museodeltessuto.it (facebook/museodeltessuto).

Sicut salvavit cervus Sanctum Stephanum (tr. the same way the deer saved Saint Stephen) is a free adaptation of  the Biblical Psalm "sicut Cervus ad fontem" of the Siena pattern.

Deruta ceramics: The Duke Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza.

Photo Credit: Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Duke Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza  circa  1465.

One of the most important and inspiring Nobelman of the Renaissance history in Italy is Federico da Montefeltro (1422-1482). One of his properties was  the Palazzo Ducale in Gubbio, where he was born.

I went to the Palazzo Ducale for the first time this year on June 26th to visit an exhibition of Renaissance ceramics from private collections, including Deruta.

I was astonished by the beauty of the Palace and by a 3D theater setting  with one of my favorite Italian actors, Giulio Base, playing the part of the Duke.

The Duke of Montefeltro is important in the history of Deruta, because Umbrian artisans took inspiration from him and his wife for the Ceramics Renaissance Portrait Plates: two single plates where the nobleman and the noblewoman look at each other.

In Deruta the same rule  is extended to  traditional patterns: if you have two plates containing two birds, one on each plate, like in the Arabesco pattern, remember that  they have to look at each other versus running after each other!

The "ritratti affrontati" (tr. fronted portraits) or "dittico" (tr.diptych) is considered as a symbol of Aristocracy. The author of the portraits above is the Italian Renaissance Artist Piero della Francesca. It is a very famous work of art, depicting the most famous profiles of the Renaissance.

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Do not miss the Uffizi Gallery when you travel to Italy. Enjoy the origin of cultural traditions! Take home something memorable, a piece of Italian history in your heart. Closed on Mondays. 

Deruta Cooking Classes: CAMA DERUTA Recipe

Everybody goes crazy for Limoncello!

Original Recipe from the Umbria region

Organic Home Made Limoncello

Ingredients:

one liter of alcohol (95°) 

the skin of 8 organic lemons

600 grams of sugar

one liter of water

Peel the 8 lemons finely leaving out the white part of the skin. Add it to the alcohol. Let it soak for 20 days in a sealed glass container.

After 20 days, take the one liter water, add the sugar and bring them to boiling temperature.

Filter the flavored alcohol.

Let the boiling water cool down. When the water is cold, add the flavored alcohol.

Filter it again and fill your preferred glass bottles with your home made “Limoncello”. 

Enjoy it cold or room temperature according to your taste!

p.s. we recommend the usage of organic lemons because of the lemon skin as a basic soaking element in this recipe. 

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Regarding soaking, this is how lead in ceramics  became a problem. Acid food like tomatoes or vinegar take out the lead contained in such ceramics. Some individuals are allergic to it and show its effects immediately. But lead is not healthy for anybody because it affects the nervous central system. 

Buy ceramics from suppliers whom you can trust! 

Deruta Art Classes: Roman Writing in Renaissance Art

Study of the letter "A" in 1526.

At CAMA DERUTA about a year and a half ago we had the pleasure of enjoying the lecture of an Italian  Professor teaching our artists how to write the Renaissance way.

We were delighted by knowing how Renaissance artists would have done the writing in Renaissance times. We did a full imersion in times past.

The inspiration for the Renaissance writing comes from the Latin classical culture: spaces between words were separated by triangles or leaves, letters were written with reinforces called "graces" in order to make reading easier from far. This technique was used for inscriptions on monuments and Churches, as you may notice when visiting the original art buildings in Italy.

In modern times this kind of writing in typography goes under the name of "serif fonts". 

We loved the lesson and we will always remember that day. The Artists did their testing on a custom made platter for a special Cama customer. The outcome was really graceful!

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Deruta History: The hospital of St. Jacques

INTRODUCING BORGODERUTA

                                          

Deruta is mainly divided into two parts: the upper part is the "Piazza", the lower part is known as "Borgo". A third neighborhood is the "Valle", located north-east of Deruta between the two main districts. 

The Borgo is where artisans and craftsmen traditionally lived. In the Renaissance in the Borgo of Deruta there was a hospital for the pilgrims on their way to Rome from Santiago de Compostela (Spain), called "Hospital of St.Jacques).

The pilgrims devoted to St.Jacques had the shell as their symbol (left shoulder of St.Jacques in the image). In this post we are publishing the original plaque of the hospital dated 1594.

We love Borgoderuta, nowadays Ambassador of talents like "Cama" and more to come for you!

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Writing in Latin: "Hospitalis Iacobi Sub Regim Comunis"  -  tr: "Hospital of  St.Jacques under the control of the Commune". The plaque belongs to the Ceramics Museum of Deruta. 

Deruta ceramics: Easy and friendly shopping at Cama!

The first multiple shipment of Cama majolica is getting ready to sail!

POSTPONED PROJECT - WILL ADVISE WHEN READY -

Dear Friends of Cama and New Customers,

The Cama website is a work in progress and we build it with you and around you. Your feedback is important to us!

If you are not feeling confident to conclude your shopping experience now, feel free to send us your pre-orders. Simply follow these steps:

1) Select your purchase;
2) Push the button "order";
3) Fill in the customer's information;
4) Press the button "send order".

Start sending your pre-orders now and you will be sure to be included in the first collective shipment  to the United States from Cama.  All the packages friendly close to one another by ship up to the port of New York and forwarded with grace to your home address!

Reminder: For orders coming in within January 1st, 2011  -  Expected arrival date: March 15th, 2011.
Note: Ships are every three months: March, June, September and December.

Important notice: In case of unsufficient quantitites worth shipping by boat,  alternatively shipments will be effected by air DDP (Duty Delivery Paid).

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By shipping collectively by boat we will help the environement and encourage the slow old fashioned way of experiencing life!

FRIENDS OF CAMA: THE SPRING BASH

POSTPONED EVENT - WILL ADVISE WHEN READY


CAMA 1st Day of Spring Special!

We are accepting orders now to be picked up at the "CAMA Spring Bash" in California  in  March 2011.

There will be a satellite party in the State of Washington also in  March, with details to follow.

Roberta Niccacci and one of the Cama Artists will attend the party in California and will introduce new Cama items to be seen for the first time. Also, there will be a raffle of a beautiful Cama pitcher and tray, and other items to benefit a well-known Bay Area Charity... to be announced!

To take part in Cama's rebirth, enter the code "Friends of Cama" in the delivery address next to your name on your order.

"1st Day of Spring Special" orders must be placed by January 1st, 2011. Please note that party orders will have to be picked up at a CAMA Spring Bash in Berkeley or Seattle on March 20th.

We look forward to seeing you there!

A special Thank you to:

The Friends of Cama - Bay Area, California
The Friends of Cama - Germany
The Friends of Cama - Italy 

Borgo Deruta, srl 

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The happy ending story of Cama now available on the Friendsofcama - facebook fan page  and/or twitter. Become a Friend of Cama with just a click. Thank you for your preference.

Cama Deruta: a business that goes beyond business.

1861- 2011: 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy

Roberta Niccacci in her 1800s costume
for the cortege in Piegaro (PG) celebrating
the 150th Anniversary of Italy. 

Italy became one country as we know it in the shape of a boot with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily in 1861. Next year we are celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

Italy was originally a Kingdom, the so-called Kingdom of Italy. It was a constitutional Monarchy. This Monarchy lasted in Italy until June 2^nd 1946 when the existing Italian Republic was constituted and the Monarchy abolished.

Umbria is one of the 20 regions of Italy which were formally recognized for the first time in 1947. Italy nowadays has about 60 million inhabitants from the Alps to Sicily with about 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) of beautiful coastline. From Umbria, it takes 2 hours to get to either coast.

There are several theses about the origin of the name “Italy” both from Latin and from the Etruscan language. Its meaning goes back to Veal and/or cow. Italy has always been an agricultural country with a strong tradition in breeding animals for meat and for working the fields.

Latin was the language of the Romans and of the Ancient Roman dominion from the 8^th Century B.C. to 476 A.D. with its last Roman Emperor. The Roman culture gave birth to the Italian language through Latin, influenced other languages like French and Spanish and lent many words to the English language.

All the words in English that are similar to Italian are called “false Friends” and there are dictionaries in the market in order to learn how not to get confused between the meaning ("significato") and the writing of the word itself ("significante"). When you are aware of false friends that really means you know the Italian language or reverse. Though it is always easy to get trapped by false friends, just like in real life.

From my lecture "Welcome to Umbria, the green heart of Italy" for the art classes of Mr. Tony Turpin "Learn to Paint in Umbria, Italy May 9 – 20, 2010".

Classic Deruta Patterns Meanings

Classic Deruta patterns by Cama, setting the trend in the US market in the past 30 years through the store of Biordi's in San Francisco and other famous ceramic specialty stores. 
The Cama Deruta workshop was closed on June 18th, 2011 and looks forward to merging into another workshop to resume her dinnerware production hopefully within 2012. 
Cama fan page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/friendsofcama

Ricco Deruta - Acanthus leaves, scrolls and flowers taking inspiration from the genius of the artist Perugino, who worked and lived in the city of Perugia. An example of his work is the "Cambio" (exchange office) in Perugia. Historical pattern from Deruta (First half of the 16th century). More popular with the "Star" center version.

Raffallesco - The dragons take inspiration from the Nero home in Rome where artists in the Renaissance went to study the classical themes of the Roman age. Interpretation of the grotesques of Vatican's rooms painted by the artist Raffaello. Historical pattern from Deruta (Second half of the 16th century).

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Each workshop in Deruta offers a different styling and interpretation of the Classic Deruta patterns. Look for the original designs. These patterns are by Cama based on the original Cama tracing papers. 

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Antico Deruta - Created by Cama upon the original tracing papers of Ricco Deruta. On a silver background that soothens the strength of the cobalt blue color.  Cama original pattern. Source of inspiration of all  similar patterns in the market.

Orvieto Green Rooster - Pattern dedicated to the city of Orvieto where the original Middle Age pattern pieces where found in archeological sites. The rooster was added later on by the artists of Deruta.

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Siena - Reproduction of the floor of the Cathedral of Siena. The sitting deer is a symbol of knowledge and elegance. It takes inspiration from the Biblical psalm starting "Sicut Cervus ad Fontes Aquarum" (tr. The same way the deer goes to the water fount"). Black and brown are the colors of the city of Siena.










Arabesco - Mediterranean pattern of Iberian origins. You may find it in Portugal in a very interesting interpretation. This pattern goes back to the 17th century.

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- Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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Deruta dinnerware: The best handwoven fabrics from Umbria

1. "Zucca" pattern by Cama and Brozzetti "Saint Peter" Pattern

2. "Trapezio" pattern by Cama and Brozzetti "Lions" Pattern
3. "Muschio" pattern by Cama and Brozzetti "Griphon" Pattern

In my research about the defense and rescue of Umbrian high-end crafts I recently met Miss Marta Cucchia, the heir of the famous workshop "Giuditta Brozzetti" in Perugia.

I am in love with her fabrics which are still "hand-beaten". Her workshop is located in a Romanic Church of Franciscan origins downtown the old city.

This is the kind of precious art example where the word "expensive" must be banned. Indeed it takes days to make a runner, as an example, and it is worth every penny of its price. The yarns are of first quality in terms of softness and colors (hand-dyed), the best in the market. Marta uses linen, cotton, silk and cashmere.

I took draft photos of the combinations of the Cama

ceramics patterns and Brozzetti fabrics. Marta found the perfect match for all the patterns. A wonderful marriage. The web address of the Giuditta Brozzetti workshop is www.brozzetti.com.

One last note: Marta can be of great help, because of her passion for her family tradition and also because she is an interior designer with lots of taste. The website is beautiful but does not make justice to the beauty of the fabrics.

Therefore I will be happy to bring these beautiful works of art of Renaissance origins with me to the United States. You will have an authentic piece of art history at your home to enjoy forever.

Also a great tribute to the engagement of Italian women in the past century for the defense of art crafts. It is thanks to sensitive women like Giuditta Brozzetti in the early 1920s that the ancient Italian art of hand-weaving came back to life after the Industrial Revolution had made its victims.

Fabrics are seen in the best homes in Perugia, Italy. A great tradition in our region, painted on frescoes by the greatest Italian artists. Seen in the best travel magazines and specialty books. The last laboratory left in the Old World, unique: www.brozzetti.com.

Example photos showing the following Cama patterns: 1. Zucca, 2. Trapezio, 3. Muschio.

November 25th: Cama online store open for shopping!

Dear Friends, returning customers and new customers,

We are happy to inform you that the online store is ready for shopping. We look forward to serving you!

The Cama online store is the most innovative service direct from the workshop to the final customers. No third parties between us.

We thank you for supporting our art by shopping with us.

With this occasion I would like to thank everybody in our creative team in Italy for their help, patience, professional assistance and for believing in Cama. A special thank you to the Friends of Cama and to Mary and her family in the United States. Cama would not be the same without all of you.

With lots of love and the best wishes for a happy holiday season coming up. Stay tuned!

Roberta Niccacci

Your personal shop Assistant

www.camaderuta.com

www.camaderuta.blogspot.com

www.bertabella.blogspot.com

Photo: My brother Andrea and myself at the traditional Saint Catherine's lunch with the Cama artists and our family on November 25th, Feast of Saint Catherine, Patron of the Ceramicists of Deruta.

Deruta Celebrations: Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi

The Canticle of the Creatures
(Rear of the Aedicule of Saint Francis at "Valle"
Hand painted book).

On October 4th in Assisi we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis. We are very devoted to Saint Francis in Deruta. Our main Church is dedicated to Francesco.

Saint Francis is the Saint Patron of Italy.

In this image a handpainted ceramics plaque, part of the aedicule of Saint Francis on the way to the "Piazza", downtown Deruta, in the Rione "Valle" ( Deruta district facing north). 

Singing the Canticle of the Creatures written by Saint Francis  makes us feel all the peace and the love of Saint Francis' prayers, the strenght and power of nature.

We love Saint Francis.

In all these years I had never seen that there was a ceramics book on the back of the aedicule.

Cama Deruta: A Feast for the Eyes!

We are happy to communicate that today we published the draft of our online store.

We are still working on the website and will be ready soon.

Thank you for following us and shopping with us... in the near future.

The Niccacci Family at Cama Deruta.

Photo credit: www.williams-sonoma.com

November 25th: Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria
by Raphael.

The feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is celebrated every year in Deruta on the 25th of November. All the workshops are closed for the holiday. It is the most important day of the year for the artists in Deruta because Saint Catherine is the Saint Patron of ceramicists.

As you may notice from this painting by Raffaello the Saint is leaning on a wheel, the tool by which she was tortured. The wheel is what distinguishes Deruta, where round pieces like bowls, cups, pitchers, vases, anything in the round shape are handthrown on the wheel.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria was also a very popular Saint in the Renaissance. She was considered as a very educated, wise and refined woman of noble origins. She was also considered as an ideal woman to marry.

But the only marriage we know of is the spiritual marriage with Christ. A beautiful painting by the artist Parmigianino depicts Saint Catherine receiving the wedding ring from Jesus in the arms of the Virgin Mary.

Saint Catherine was born in the 3rd Century A.D. and she is venerated in several fields of the arts and crafts.

A curiosity: this year the celebration of Saint Catherine takes place on the same day of Thanksgiving in the United States. November 25th falls on a Thursday!

Saint Catherine of Alexandria by
Francesco Mazzola known as "Parmigianino". 

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Original Posts by Roberta Niccacci -

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August 10th: Feast of Saint Lawrence

Saint Lawrence is a very important Saint to the city of Perugia. The Cathedral of Perugia is dedicated to this Saint who died as a martyr in the 3rd Century A.D.

Saint Lawrence e is also important to us: our founder at Cama, Mr. Pompeo Niccacci was born on this date in the second half of the 19th century. In the night of this date we look for falling stars and we think of our great grand father.

Deruta ceramics history: A Visit to the tomb of "Il Perugino"

Photo credit: Perugino, the last supper (detail),
1495, Cenacolo del Fuligno, Florence.

Some days ago I went to the town of Fontignano (Perugia district) on the way to Città della Pieve with the purpose of visiting the tomb of famous artist Pietro Vannucci known as "Il Perugino".

Pietro Vannucci spent the last decade of his life in the small town of Fontignano where he died of plague at the age of 78 in 1523. His last work of art was a Madonna with Child in the small Church where he is buried.

During working days volunteers will come and open the Church for you upon calling them on their cellular phone. They will give you a brief lecture and interesting information about the artist's life and work in Fontignano. This was such a treat! I loved it.

The fresco by Pietro Vannucci
aka "Il Perugino" dated 1477/1478 for the
Church of Saint Francis, Deruta.
A thank you gift to the Church for the end of the plagues,
called "ex-voto" in Latin. 

Additionally tomorrow Fontignano will start the celebrations of the festival "Fontignano at the table 2010" from July 16th to July 25th: great traditional recipes from the Renaissance, lots of people, music, dancing and fun!

At the time of Perugino the town of Deruta was a circle of very important persons, artists and politicians.  Perugino worked in Deruta on a beautiful fresco with the Saints Rocco and Romano, anti-pestiferous Saints at the time of the plagues. I can imagine Mr. Pietro Vannucci riding his horse from Città della Pieve to Deruta and visiting our beautiful town. Deruta is about 1 hour away by car from Città della Pieve.

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A Pilgrimage to the Temple of Fortune

A couple of hours from Deruta on the Adriatic see there is a Roman town called "Fano" (established 207 b.C.).

The meaning of the word comes from "Fanum Fortunae", temple of fortune in Latin. Indeed the town was at the end of the famous Roman road called "Flaminia".

From Fano on travellers were in the hands of the Fortune because they would face the open sea. Many Roman monuments and buildings withstand the passing of time in Fano, such as the arch of Emperor August. Walking in the streets of Fano is very nice and breathing the breeze coming from the sea is very healthy.

As a tradition Fano is the preferred seaside of the people from our region, Umbria, maybe because this town has old Umbrian origins. The Umbrians were a population of Italic origin that settled in central Italy in the Second Millennium b.C.

In the beginning their properties went from the River Tiber Valley to the Adriatic sea, Tuscany, Romagna and the Padana Valley. Then the Etruscans limited the territory of the Umbrians to the East valley of the River Tiber.

We are proud to be Umbrians in Deruta. Umbria is our region.

Photo: Rare example of the Umbrian language - discovered in the 15th century Re: Tabulae Iguvinae (3rd-1st century b.C.).

May 22: Feast of Saint Rita of Cascia

May 22nd is the day celebrating St. Rita of Cascia.

(1386-1456). She is considered as the "Santa degli impossibili" (The Saint of the Impossible).

When we have a problem that cannot be solved in any way we pray St.Rita.

The sacred flower of St. Rita is the rose.

In the town of Deruta until recent years on this day we used to set up cars with red roses from our gardens and leave the main Church uptown in a long line of cars. On top of the line a small truck with our priest and the plaster statue of St. Rita.

In the past families were very devoted to their Saints. As a tradition there are red roses in many gardens in Deruta to celebrate this event.

The religious procession passed through the main streets of Deruta and went back to the St. Francis Church. The Statue of the Saint is permanently part of the Church in Deruta.

St.Rita is a very popular Saint in Italy.

Italian Saying: "La processione da dove esce rientra" (tr. the procession always goes back to where it started" - moral: What you do you receive back).

Text in English: Fr. Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, Tan B. and P., Inc. 1995 with Imprimatur

Deruta patterns: The Singing Rooster

Giuliano de' Medici was awakened by a rooster

and for one time could escape murder.

At CAMA DERUTA one of the traditional patterns was the green rooster. We have always wondered about its origins, especially if we think of pitchers shaped as roosters.

The story we hear in the States is that Giuliano de' Medici from Florence in the Renaissance period was awakened by a rooster and therefore he could escape being murdered.

The story is probably true because Giuliano de' Medici went under several attempts of murder in the city of Florence as well as in the countryside, where he had been hiding from enemies.


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Giuliano de' Medici was the brother of the famous Lorenzo de' Medici and he was only sixteen when their father Piero died.

Indeed the two brothers took over the power in the city of Florence right after their father's death and opponent parties tried to kill them several times.

In 1478  the "Pazzi" family conspired against Giuliano and Lorenzo in repeated attempts to eradicate their power. On one of these occasions, Giuliano was murdered in the Cathedral of Florence, and his brother Lorenzo was left wounded. Giuliano was only 25 years old when he died.

Coat of arms of Giuliano de'
Medici's family. 

The reaction of the city of Florence was unexpected towards conspirators. The population of Florence got furious and attacked the Pazzi family's members as well as their accomplices with heavy consequences. As a result, the Medici family remained in power. 

However, with the death of Giuliano de' Medici, the flourishing Renaissance world of arts lost one of his most passionate and youngest partons. 

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If we think of Greek mythology , the rooster is the sacred symbol of Mercury and we feel this adds meaning to our curiosity: Rooster=green= good luck. Green is also the color of Venus, it means beauty.

The singing rooster can be found on vintage Deruta plates with a note of the pentagram ("DO di petto= C in English). Color variations of the rooster pattern are red and blue. But green is still the predominant color. 

This pattern is also known as the "Orvieto" pattern because it is dedicated to the town of Orvieto, where there is a ceramics tradition producing a distinctive green leaves pattern. Deruta artists added the rooster to the original Orvieto leaves pattern in the 1920s, a very fertile revival period of Deruta ceramics. The Green Rooster pattern is the most medieval of all Deruta patterns because it carries fewer colors than the Renaissance traditional patterns, namely Ricco Deruta and Raffaellesco. 

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The Cama rooster pattern is the best! It is painted by my father Renato who has learned from the great artists of Deruta. The rooster is lively just like my father's personality. There is lots of love in it! Renato Niccacci is also the artist of Arabesco Verde and Siena black and white designs.

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posted by Roberta Niccacci

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