The hills of Impruneta, and part of the Florentine Chianti, have a composite geological structure
inside which there is often a chaotic complex of clayey and silty materials. Precisely from this clay component derive those lands so suitable for the production of artefacts that have made Impruneta the homeland of “cotto”.
The hills of Impruneta, and part of the Florentine Chianti, have a composite geological structure
The hills of Impruneta, and part of the Florentine Chianti, have a composite geological structure
inside which there is often a chaotic complex of clayey and silty materials. Precisely from this clay component derive those lands so suitable for the production of artefacts that have made Impruneta the homeland of “cotto”.
During the period of splendor of Renaissance Florence, the clay from Impruneta was used to make the artefacts for the city’s major buildings: the example of the Dome of the Cathedral stands out for all of them. The floors of the grand ducal and noble palaces were made with that clay, but also the terracotta of the farmhouses and the citrus basins, the large vases and terracotta statues of the hundreds of villas scattered throughout the countryside.
“He went to the furnaces in person with respect to cooking, as he seemed to be the master of everything”
“He went to the furnaces in person with respect to cooking, as he seemed to be the master of everything”
Antonio Manetti, biographer of Filippo Brunelleschi, reports on his trips to Impruneta to ensure that the Impruneta terracotta was perfectly suitable for his creation, because this material offers at the same time characteristics of solidity and lightness that only terracotta can give: the vault in fact, the dome has no support structure.
During the period of splendor of Renaissance Florence, the clay from Impruneta was used to make the artefacts for the city’s major buildings: the example of the Dome of the Cathedral stands out for all of them. The floors of the grand ducal and noble palaces were made with that clay, but also the terracotta of the farmhouses and the citrus basins, the large vases and terracotta statues of the hundreds of villas scattered throughout the countryside.
“He went to the furnaces in person with respect to cooking, as he seemed to be the master of everything”
“He went to the furnaces in person with respect to cooking, as he seemed to be the master of everything”
Antonio Manetti, biographer of Filippo Brunelleschi, reports on his trips to Impruneta to ensure that the Impruneta terracotta was perfectly suitable for his creation, because this material offers at the same time characteristics of solidity and lightness that only terracotta can give: the vault in fact, the dome has no support structure.
The land of Impruneta is very rich in marl, called “anti-freeze terracotta”, a particular type of clay which gives the terracottas special characteristics of resistance and colour, and above all makes them unalterable in the cold.
Galestrum, the basic element for the production of Impruneta terracotta, is extracted from open-air quarries near Impruneta. The extracted clay, left to dry in the summer sun, must then be separated from the waste materials which are almost exclusively summarized in stones: this operation can only be manual.
Thanks to grinding, with the aid of heavy crushing machinery, a more or less granular powder is obtained, which is then passed through a sieve and stored in silos.
At this stage, the mixing machine and above all the skill and experience of the craftsman form an indispensable whole: the proportion of water intervenes to obtain a good plastic result.
The basis of our mixture is precisely the Impruneta clay to which modifications have been made to make it usable on the one hand for the production of large surfaces for the creation of ventilated walls to be applied on the facades of important buildings and on the other to adapt the clay using the most modern processing techniques for the production of even large vases.
The presence of “calcinelli” is not a defect but a peculiar characteristic of the dough, however
this is necessary to wet the item with water immediately after cooking
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