Centro Ceramico Fornace Pagliero

The oldest ceramics factory in Castellamonte can be visited today and houses three production lines: the 19th century line, the 1930s line and the 1950s line. At the height of industrial development, Enrico Pagliero founded the oldest ceramics factory in Castellamonte in 1814. The construction of this large structure represented the end of craft production and the advent of industrial production with mass production. During the 19th century, the Pagliero family boasted the most complete and varied production in the area: tableware, statues, architectural friezes, vases, garden ornaments and stoves. With the outbreak of World War II, the company's decline began. In 2003, the factory was purchased by master ceramist Daniele Chechi, who started a project to renovate the premises, reactivating the production of terracotta artefacts and stoves in Castellamonte ceramics, made from the original moulds found on the site. The former Pagliero factory houses three production dies, a unique and perfectly preserved example of industrial archaeology. Visits to the site are accompanied by temporary exhibitions throughout the year.