Around 300 people have enjoyed Talavera’s artisanal processes through CeramiTUR

The Councillor for Tourism and Crafts, Gelen Delgado, highlighted that after 20 workshops and 4 guided tours, the CeramiTUR project has come to an end in Talavera with “very positive” results and impressions. Around 300 people from a wide range of backgrounds personally experienced “the art of feeling clay between their fingers and the difficulty of painting a piece,” leading them to appreciate “our artisanal processes, which have been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

She made these remarks at a press conference accompanied by Fernando Portela, project facilitator; Cristina Vilches, organizer of inclusive and awareness-raising activities; and María Godoy, tourism promotion and outreach officer.

Delgado recalled that CeramiTUR is a project created with the aim of strengthening ceramics as a tourist attraction and transforming traditional ceramic know-how into high-quality, inclusive, and appealing tourism offerings for both residents and visitors. The initiative has been led by Talavera together with the Spanish Association of Ceramic Cities, in collaboration with municipalities with a ceramic tradition (Agost, Alba de Tormes, Bailén, La Bisbal d’Empordà, La Rambla, Manises, Mota del Cuervo, and Onda), and funded by the European Union’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan – Next Generation EU.

CERAMITUR ACTIONS

The councillor explained that the CeramiTUR program in the city focused on two main lines of action encompassing the entire project: tourism promotion and outreach, and awareness-raising, inclusion, and accessibility.

The first brought the artisanal process closer to young people at risk of social exclusion; women and children who are victims of gender-based violence; minors under protective measures; people with intellectual, physical, or sensory disabilities; individuals with minimum incomes; and refugees, in collaboration with the Red Cross.

Workshops were also held with organizations such as ALPADIF; with visually impaired participants in collaboration with ONCE; with students with intellectual disabilities at Manos Artesanas; with APACE participants affected by cerebral palsy and disabilities; a clay and painting course at the Addictive Behaviors and Psychiatry Unit; and a route with the association “Con Otro Sentido,” enabling people with mobility difficulties and diverse abilities to enjoy the city’s heritage without barriers.

In the second line of action—tourism promotion—the project welcomed professional associations that took part in routes and pottery or painting workshops, including official tour guides from Toledo, tourism professionals and companies, large-family associations from Talavera and Madrid, young people aged 14 to 35 at a painting workshop at the Youth Center, local residents, and individuals who enrolled independently.

Delgado emphasized that all these actions have “boosted artisanal workshops and increased interest in and recognition of the sector, as well as the value and effort artisans devote to creating each ceramic piece.”

This year has also seen an increase in student enrollment in Artistic Ceramics (advanced vocational training) and Ceramic Decoration (intermediate vocational training) at the Talavera School of Art.

“We can therefore celebrate that our ceramics—our pride as Talavera residents and our hallmark—are gradually taking the place they deserve.”

She also thanked everyone who made these activities possible, especially the artisans and professionals of the potter’s wheel and painting, who “opened their doors to offer workshops that will remain in the memory of all participants and showed us with great care and dedication the daily work they carry out.”

The project also included cross-cutting actions with a multimedia team to record content and resources related to businesses that use ceramics on façades or tableware, as well as heritage sites such as murals, the Basilica, bridges featuring ceramic tilework, and two masterclasses—one on painting and decoration and another on pottery—to showcase the full ceramic-making process.

All this material will be uploaded to a multilingual web platform centralizing the ceramic-tourism offer, enabling trip planning, activity booking, and access to inclusive multimedia content.

NATIONAL CERAMIC ROUTE

Finally, the creation of a National Ceramic Route was announced—a cultural tourism project coordinated by the Spanish Association of Ceramic Cities—aimed at promoting Spain’s ceramic heritage through immersive experiences in associated cities and aligning with the European Route.

The route will include museum visits, traditional kilns, interpretation centers, hands-on workshops, thematic itineraries, educational activities, family experiences, gastronomy, and accommodation linked to ceramics.

A National Pottery Competition is also planned for 2026.

Fernando Portela announced that following CeramiTUR, a new brand will be launched as the identity of the National Ceramic Route: ARTERRA – “Places Where the Earth Comes to Life.”