The ancient zaffera technique from the City of the Popes reaches India. Not just anywhere, but at one of the seven wonders of the modern world: the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A journey born from a love with two faces: the love the ceramicist Cinzia Chiulli puts into her work at the point of departure, and the love awaiting it at its destination. Because this is a wedding gift.
“I am delighted that my creations found such an extraordinary setting, and that the Viterbo tradition, with its symbols of love, was able to speak to hearts so receptive to its beauty and depth,” says Cinzia Chiulli – ceramic artisan and president of CNA Viterbo and Civitavecchia’s Artistic and Traditional Craftsmanship union – on returning from a unique experience that saw her works take centre stage.
The story begins in Cinzia’s workshop, Percorsi Artistici, in the medieval heart of Viterbo, where the groom’s father, fascinated by the symbolic power of Viterbo’s medieval tradition, commissioned two special plates as a gift for the couple. Made using the “zaffera” technique.
The plates depict the “Heart within a Heart” and the “Love Knot”, the latter a symbol of the historic noble union between the Farnese and Orsini families. Besides the plates given to the couple, other creations by Cinzia were requested as gifts for the guests, a sign of the fascination exerted by Viterbo’s ceramic tradition.
The celebrations, intense and evocative, took place amid mysticism and beauty, culminating in the final rite at one of the most iconic places in the world: the Taj Mahal. Here, amid the geometric waters that seem to protect the famous mausoleum dedicated to eternal love, Cinzia Chiulli’s plates found a natural place.
The deep blue of the Viterbo decoration blended harmoniously with the hues of the Taj Mahal, creating a visual and emotional bond between Italian tradition and Indian art.
Cinzia Chiulli’s experience in India was not just a personal opportunity, but a great chance for Viterbo ceramics to become known and appreciated on an international stage. Some of the wedding guests, captivated by the beauty and meaning of her creations, have in fact already commissioned new works, opening the way to a possible expansion of this ancient art beyond Italy’s borders.
in the photo: Cinzia Chiulli with the newlyweds at the Taj Mahal
