Museo della ceramica della Tuscia

The Tuscia Ceramic Museum is located in the heart of the historical city centre of Viterbo. The structure was founded in 1996, thanks to the initiative of the Carivit Foundation and the Municipality of Viterbo, and is one of the most interesting cultural realities of the city. The museum occupies the ground floor rooms of the 17th century Palazzo Brugiotti and is divided into five large spaces with an exhibition itinerary that presents the evolution of ceramic production in Viterbo and the northern Lazio Region, from the first achromatic bisque and glazed shapes, to enamelled objects up to ceramic baking pans of the 19th century. Most of the ceramic artefacts exhibited were found in drainage wells, commonly called “butti”, in the historical city centres of Northern Lazio. These are wells excavated in the tufa inside the houses of the Mediaeval period and used to collect any kind of liquid and solid waste, such as waste from the everyday table or broken furnishings. In recent years with the refurbishment of historical centres, many wells have been discovered and, together with bones and other materials, revealing many ceramic fragments today patiently reconstructed by restorers.