Puglia is well-known for handcrafted ceramics all over Italy and abroad. Many Puglia visitors enjoy taking home a piece of earthenware from a local pottery shop. Most often it is the pumo salentino, a symbol of prosperity and good luck representing a large flower bud.

 

The Fernando Falcone workshop produces the pumo in various colours and sizes, plus beautiful crockery, lots of decorative items, wedding and party favors, olive oil jars, vessels of all kinds, openwork lamps, and objects for the garden and patio.

 

The lovely pieces are inspired by tradition, carefully hand-made and hand-painted by skilled artisans.

 

The showroom, workshop and oven are onsite in the small town of Ruffano in the very south of Puglia. I found the staff to be very welcoming and helpful on several visits. If you are in the area, Ceramiche Fernando Falcone is a great place to discover quality gifts and souvenirs at a fair price.