After this first experience, how did you continue your training?
I enrolled in art school, but I soon had to leave to help my mother, who was suddenly left on her own. I started working in workshops, then one day I met Giovannino Carrano, a former pupil of Richard Dolke, the German ceramicist who settled in Vietri in the 1920s and breathed new life into ceramics here.
How do the area’s stories and legends inspire you?
Some of the stories have been passed down from generation to generation, and they tell of mythological creatures, of mermaids and soothsayers. These legendary characters have always stimulated my imagination and influenced my creations.
© Francesco Raimondi
Why are your ceramics also inspired by Islamic culture?
This is also tied to the history of this region. The ceramics produced in Vietri were traded for other raw materials that were transported to our coasts by ships coming from faraway countries, in particular from North Africa.
What is innovative about your work?
The shapes and designs. Over the years, I have had a number of apprentices in my workshop. To each of them I explained that the difference between an artisan and a master lies in their point of view: the master can convey his own, and make it recognisable.