| The history of handicrafts in Abruzzo has to start from Castelli, a charming town at the foot of the Gran Sasso range. Here ceramics were first made in medieal times by Benedictine monks, with the hiegt of artistic expressionreached in the 17th and 18th centuries througt some families of famous ceramic artists. The Museum at castelli, the Paparella Treccia-Devlet Collection at Pescara and the Acerbo Collection at Loreto Aprutino now house hese masterpieces, while mani galleries and shops selling ceramics line the narrow streets of the town, just like a museum, displaing the valuable works of ceramic artists all inspired by a different style, colours and themes. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, Rapino, in the province of Chieti, was also well known for its ceramics and today, these ceramics with their interesting decorative motifs and themes are still valued a great deal. |