Last Week: Andalucia

Wow, I can't believe my big buying trip is coming to an end!  I had a great time driving down the coast from Valencia on Tuesday and then spent Wednesday exploring the Cazorla National Park.  This area produces 10% of the world's olive oil, which is not difficult to believe -- the olive groves stretch out in every direction, as far as the eye can see.  Beautiful.

On Thursday, I headed for Sevilla, but made two pottery stops on the way.  The first was impromptu... the hotel owner in Cazorla had mentioned that I really should stop in the nearby town of Ubeda to visit La Alfareria Tito... and I am so glad I did.  Check out some photos of the store I walked into:

I soon met Melchor Tito, who drove me from his store to a small workshop, where there are only 2 work stations: one for Melchor Tito Sr. (first photo below) and one for Melchor Tito Jr.  Talk about a close father-son relationship, these two work together everyday, crafting, painting, and firing their unique ceramic artwork.

I also got a tour and explanation of the traditional (and very elaborate) Arabic firing process they use.  They have the oldest Arabic kiln in all of Europe (that's still functioning) and using it means carefully packing it to capacity, then closely monitoring its progress for the 30 hours it's cooking!  They keep an eye on the heat, section by section, and add kindling (for which they use, not surprisingly, dried olive branches) to certain areas as needed.  Here's Melchor Jr. showing me the tunnel-like entry through which they add kindling.

The whole process is super labor-intensive, which means they only do it once a year.  But the result is beautiful - strong, mineral-based glazes, from rich evergreen and golden honey, to deep cobalt.  It did not take me long to decide Alfareria Tito would make a great addition to the Emilia Ceramics collection!

My next stop was Hermanos Granados in Lucena, a small town near Cordoba.  Because of my detour to Alfareria Tito (and the fact that Melchor Tito was very outgoing and wanted to tell me every detail about his craft), I arrived about 3 hours later than I had expected.  Luckily, Isidoro Granados turned out to be the exact opposite of Melchor Tito -- extremely quiet and only interested in showing me what I asked to be shown.  Here's Isidoro, holding a pitcher.  We joked about how this huge pitcher made him appear even smaller than he really is (probably less than five feet tall). Standing next to me had the same effect!

Despite his shyness, Isidoro was very welcoming.  He answered all my questions and introduced me to the rest of his family (aka, his coworkers).  I had actually visited the Granados family 8 years ago, when I was living in Sevilla and just getting interested in the idea of importing ceramics.  It was great to see their work again in person, as they employ a very traditional Andalusian style that I love.  It's rustic, with a truly functional look and feel.

With that, I ended the pottery portion of my trip and focused my energy on enjoying my old stomping grounds in Sevilla.  It's been awesome toback in this most beautiful and energetic city!  Here are a few parting shots of the Cathedral and of course, my favorite bartenders in Sevilla.

I'll be home Wednesday -- hope to see or hear from you soon!

Ahhhh... España!

A while back I discovered a website written by Tapeña Wines, a family-run Spanish company operating 11 wineries throughout the country's best wine regions.  I was instantly drawn to the Tapeña website because it is all about the Spanish-inspired lifestyle that I love so much.  As I read it, I find myself smiling knowingly, nodding my head and thinking, Yes, exactly!  And God, I miss Spain!

For instance, in the section titled "the good life" (which in my mind is pretty much equivalent to "life in Spain"), they write: "Welcome to Spain, where lunch lasts two hours" and "every meal is a chance to make new friends."  Yes, exactly! God, I miss Spain! 

In a recent newsletter I received from Tapeña, they described Semana Santa (which is Easter week) in Sevilla.  Having lived in Sevilla and seen Semana Santa personally, I can tell you it is to this day, the most amazing tradition I've ever experienced.  Each church (and there are a lot of churches) makes an elaborate "float," a beautiful scene of a tearful Madonna or a sacrificial Jesus... and their parishioners carry it (no, they don't tow it, they actually carry it) from their church, through the streets of Sevilla, to the Cathedral where it is blessed, and then back to their church.  Sometimes rival churches even meet during the trip and have a sort of competitive face-off!

The round-trip journey can take days. They aren't marching constantly of course... this is Sevilla, after-all.  They make frequent stops at bars to have a cerveza and maybe some tapas, before they resume their pilgrimage.  It's absolutely amazing to watch.

In honor of my home (country) away from home -- which I get to return to soon for a buying trip -- I wanted to share the Tapeña Wines website with you: http://www.tapenawines.com/index.html.  They have great info on Spanish lifestyle, recipes, and of course wine.  Definitely worth a read as it has the power to transport you to what I consider heaven on earth: A place where good friends, good food, and good wine supersede any other life concern.

 

Above: Just another bar scene in Sevilla. 

Below: Jose and Pablo, two of my favorite bartenders in Sevilla.

 

Spanish Pottery

I lived in Sevilla for a year -- that's when I really fell in love with the spanish people. There's a ton of ceramics in Spain and the most famous is from Andalucia. Personally, I find this typical style (below right) a little too busy though.





I do love the very basic terra cotta pottery from Spain. It's simple color and form is based solely on function - Sangria pitchers designed to keep the drink cold in the hot spanish summer and casserole dishes (shown below) perfect for oven-to-table dishes. In my opinion, it's the simplicity of these pieces that makes them beautiful.







I found some pieces that I love from Valencia. Here's a peice I think is really cool. I'm visiting this artist in Valencia.


A friend of mine in Lagrono said there's beautiful pottery made in a nearby town called Navarrete. I found a number of potters listed on the internet, but no pictures of their work. If you know what it looks like, please share. I don't really want to make the trip up to the Rioja region unless I've seen the pottery already.