Museo Civico e della Ceramica

The Museo Civico e della Ceramica is a print room and ceramics museum located in Ariano Irpino, within the province of Avellino, Italy. Inaugurated on June 28, 1991, the institution was established to preserve and continue the civic and cultural traditions of the city and its territory through research and study. It is distinguished by its dual focus on local ceramic production and rare historical printed editions, alongside photographic, archival, and modern art collections.

The museum opened on June 28, 1991, with the mission of commemorating and fostering the cultural heritage of Ariano Irpino. Its creation formalized the preservation of local historical artifacts, particularly the ceramic tradition which has deep roots in the area. Archaeological finds from the local Norman castle indicate that local ceramic activity dates back to at least the early fourteenth century, with masters of Faenza culture arriving in the early decades of the fifteenth century. Export of local ceramics to Sicily is documented as early as 1494, with production reaching its peak in the eighteenth century. The museum itself has grown through acquisitions, donations, and archaeological discoveries from urban excavations, including materials from ancient waste pits discovered along the old city walls.

The museum encompasses several distinct sections. Its primary focus is the local maiolica collection, comprising approximately 250 artifacts spanning from the twelfth to the twenty-first century, with a particular emphasis on seventeenth and eighteenth century works. The print room safeguards rare and valuable editions from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, originally from Christian convents in the area that were suppressed during the nineteenth century. Additional holdings include a civic photo library covering the years 1865 to 1955, a modern art gallery, a fossil collection, a newspaper library, a local history library, and the Historical Archive of the Municipality.

The ceramics collection features local maiolica pieces such as plates, flasks with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures, votive plaques, and tiles. A notable typology within the collection includes terracotta female busts dedicated to ancient goddesses, such as the Greek Demeter and the Samnite Kere. The museum also houses a private donation from Emilia Dotoli, which includes Samnite terracottas from the eighth to sixth centuries BC, southern-Adriatic ceramics from the fifth to fourth centuries BC, and Magna Graecian figured ceramics and votive offerings. Among the oldest ceramic artifacts is a small Lombard-age pitcher from the seventh to eighth centuries, discovered in 1929 at the Castle of Ariano. The print room's most precious nucleus consists of sixteenth-century editions from major printing centers across Italy and Europe, including Venice, Paris, Lyon, Basel, Antwerp, Salamanca, Lisbon, and Cologne.

The museum is housed on the second floor of the historic Palazzo Forte, situated in the ancient center of Ariano Irpino. In addition to the main exhibition spaces, the institution operates a dedicated educational and scientific center at Palazzo San Giacomo. This secondary site is located in the historic Tranesi district, an extramural neighborhood that housed the ancient ceramics kilns. The district received its name after being populated by refugees from Trani in the second half of the fifteenth century.

The museum is located at via D'Afflitto 14 in Ariano Irpino. It is easily reachable on foot from anywhere in the historic center, and nearby bus stops include the Piazza Duomo stop. Free parking, including spaces reserved for visitors with disabilities, is available near the main entrance at Piazza Duomo. The facility is fully accessible to visitors with physical disabilities, featuring entrances without architectural barriers. As of 2024, the museum is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 17:00, and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00 to 12:00, remaining closed on weekends. The contemporary ceramic production of Ariano Irpino bears the CAT (Ceramica Artistica Tradizionale) mark from the National Ceramic Council, and the town is recognized as a center of established ceramic tradition by the Ministry of Economic Development, forming part of the Association of Italian Ceramic Cities.