Who is The Course Right For?

This course is right for you if:

• You love ceramics but you've never really tried before.
• You've tried other techniques but have never dared trying wheel-throwing.
• You’ve tried wheel throwing before but have never learned to centre independently, or struggle to centre clay in general.
• You've tried the wheel before but you've never given yourself a chance to really practise and learn, and you simply want a chance to spend a whole week practising on the wheel without worrying about anything else.

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Discover the territory/ Discover Sicily

During this week, you won’t just get a ceramics course. We’ve also organised a program of activity so that you can connect with Sicilian culture, get to know beautiful Salemi and its rich history and territory. 

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You will:

• Eat breakfast like the locals do in our favourite local bars
• Enjoy meals in a variety of authentic, local Sicilian restaurants / home-restaurants
• Seasonal cultural excursions

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What's Included

• Ceramics classes and mentorship by established ceramicists
• All materials
• Palermo Airport pick-up (12 noon Sunday) or Palermo City Pick Up (11am Sunday). There is an additional charge for any pick-ups at other times
• Return Palermo Airport transfer and Palermo City drop off on Saturday, departing Salemi at 7am
• 2 x Yoga and 2 x meditation classes
• All meals and non-alcoholic beverages from Sunday dinner through to Saturday breakfast
• Glazing and firing a max of 3kg of pieces (this will be done after the course has finished)

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What's Not Included

• Accommodation
• Shipping of pieces that will be fired by the studio
• Additional cost for firing/glazing more than 3kg of pieces (it’s 20€/kg for each extra kg of clay)
• Alcoholic beverages

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Arrival/Departure

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We ask that you plan your arrival for Sunday. We have an included pick-up from either Palermo Centre (in front of Hotel Politeama) at 1100 or Palermo Airport at 1200. On Sunday afternoon (circa 1630, subject to change), you will be welcomed to Salemi by one of our team members, who will take you on an orientation walk of the historical centre. This will be followed by a welcome apericena (light dinner) with a Salemi Spritz at one of our favourite local restaurants.

We will bid you farewell at the end of your time in Salemi with an included transfer to either Palermo Airport or Palermo Centre (Piazza Politeama), departing Salemi at 0700 on Saturday morning.

**For pick-ups and drop-offs outside of these times and locations, please contact us for a transfer quote.

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A Typical Day

This is an intensive learning week! Teaching is primarily group-based with moments of individual feedback built in. Please note this is not one-on-one tuition.

You will be in the studio from Monday at 0900 through to approximately 1700 on Friday afternoon. Studio time is a combination of teaching and non-teaching time. You can expect a typical day to look like this:

0800 - Yoga in the courtyard (optional)
0900 - 1300 - Studio (teaching with a coffee/tea break at 1030 in the courtyard)
1300 - Shared lunch in the courtyard
1400 - 1630 - Free Studio Time - Afternoon studio hours are primarily self-directed practice, with your teacher available in the studio for guidance
1900 - Dinners are a combination of eating at local restaurants, home restaurants, and in-house at the studio

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Please note

Our program is carefully designed to balance teaching, practice, meals, and cultural experiences, and we do our best to follow the planned schedule. However, all times and activities are indicative and may shift with the season, the weather, or the needs of the group. Studio sessions, meals, and excursions may be adjusted, rescheduled, or substituted at our discretion. Flexibility is part of the Salemi Ceramics experience, and we believe these small changes often add to the richness of your time with us.

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Our Teachers

We have different visiting teachers every month, chosen amongst the most brilliant Italian and European ceramicists and ceramics instructors.

To see which teacher will lead our upcoming beginners course and learn more about them, go to View all courses and click on the teacher’s name.

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(📷 by Sabela Andrés @sabelaandres)