In this way, he prevented excessive absorption during glazing and prevented the formation of cracks in the finished product.
He received the blond clay from the quarries of Monte Stella, transported to Vietri on donkey-drawn carts.
The master hastened to crush the clods with the wooden mallet. The workers detached the donkeys and tilted the platform: the clay was swallowed by the water of the settling tank (‘culuórno’), where it remained to sunbathe (‘sponzarsi’) overnight.
The next day, the master, balanced on the edge of the settling tank, stirred the mud with a pole, until the clay dissolved completely. Then he removed the cap and replaced it with a filter. A lazy river of mud settled noisy in the adjacent pools, built below. The pools were shallow and communicating: once the first was filled, it was the turn of the second …
Once the clay was purified, the master lowered himself into the mud. He collected the clay from the bottom in the palms of his hands and placed it on large biscuit plates which he placed on the edges of the tubs to dry. For each portion of clay, it had a caress that made it smooth and wind resistant.
Nowadays, the clay master uses, as in the case of Giovanni De Maio, Ceramica Artistica Vietrese since 1826, machinery and tools that shorten the time of operations and reduce the labour of the workers: silos to store the clay, rolling mills and electric mixers to work it, devices to filter impurities. But the final result retains that exact same beauty of the past.

It is also thanks to his ability that the flat and greyish surfaces of the raw material begin to quiver, to shine, to modulate the light.

The work of the kilnsman, “son of fire”, therefore retains something miraculous that still fascinates today. Not surprisingly, before each firing, the ceramists of the past turned to Saint Antonio Abate, their patron.

Saint Anthony protect this kiln,
as God protects this world.
I put myself in your hands,
get these pieces out without cracks.­­

… by electric heaters, thermoregulators, timers, which ensure high and constant temperatures.
Yesterday many of the chemical reactions were left to chance, today alchemy has turned into science. But the spell remained intact.…

Rustic but elegant, in square, trapezoid, lozenge or strip formats, which can be assembled in many geometries, Cotto di Ogliara stands out for its delicate colour: it recalls precious and fragrant Russian leathers. Its surface still retains traces of the last caress of the tilemaker (‘riggiolaro’), that made it waterproof as well as material that breathes.