Museo Opificio Rubboli, Ceramics museum in Gualdo Tadino, Italy
Museo Opificio Rubboli is a ceramics museum in Gualdo Tadino, Umbria, housed in a 19th-century factory building that once served as a working pottery. Its four rooms follow the steps of ceramic production, from shaping raw clay to decorating and firing finished pieces.
Paolo Rubboli arrived in Gualdo Tadino in 1875 and, together with his wife Daria, set up a pottery workshop specializing in lustreware using methods passed down through the family. In 2015, the last heir, Maurizio Tittarelli Rubboli, converted the workshop into a museum open to the public.
The lustreware tradition has long been part of daily life in Gualdo Tadino, and this museum shows how one family kept that craft going across generations. Visitors can see the tools, glazed pieces, and kiln rooms that were still in active use not long ago.
The museum is on Via Giuseppe Discepoli in the center of Gualdo Tadino, easy to reach on foot from the main square. Opening hours can vary by season, so checking ahead before visiting is a good idea. A combined ticket with other local museums is available.
The museum houses what is believed to be the only surviving kiln of its type, designed by Paolo Rubboli for the lustre firing process. The design of the muffole, the inner chambers used in that firing, follows principles described in a ceramic manual from 1558 written by Cipriano Piccolpasso.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
