Bitossi Pottery History

The Bitossi family has been documented in the Montelupo Fiorentino region as far back as 1536. They’ve worked as kiln workers, sculptors, painters, and notable potters in this area with its historic ceramic traditions, only a few kilometers outside of Florence, for generations, and in the twentieth century, they contributed an incredible aesthetic and formal rejuvenation to their work.

Guido Bitossi, the heir to a long family and history, created the “Maioliche artistiche Guido Bitossi” factory in 1921, offering a kind of manufacturing still tied to the past’s tradition and classical styles, mixed with research and study on ceramics goods.

Beginning in the early 1950s, the company’s growth took on a more modern tone under the artistic leadership of Aldo Londi, a man with an intuitive creative and aesthetic sense as well as a sharp eye for changes in taste and the distinctiveness of Italian products. 

Londi arrived in Bitossi in 1946 and remained the uncontested protagonist for the next fifty years, first as a painter, then as creative director, and ultimately as a diligent study of styles and models to imitate.

Many designers have contributed to Manifattura Bitossi’s products over the years, interpreting heritage and creating new product lines. To begin with, Architect Ettore Sottsass, who began visiting the Manifattura Bitossi in 1955 to explore and develop new ceramics. His collections marked the beginning of a new era in Italian design.