Beginner Wheel Throwing 7-day course

Do you feel like one week in this beautiful setting just isn’t enough? Want to spend more time in Salemi focusing exclusively on wheel throwing?

Check out our 2-week Introduction to Wheel Throwing course! It's perfect for those looking to deepen their skills while fully immersing themselves in the art of ceramics.

This course is a one-week introduction to the art of wheel throwing, during which you will have a chance to immerse yourself in the practice of ceramics while also enjoying the tranquil pleasures of Sicilian life.

During the course you will learn the basics of wheel throwing: wedging, centering, throwing cups and bowls (even small vases for the most ambitious!) and trimming your pieces. Making progress that would take you months of 3 hours-a-week practice. You'll walk away with a solid foundation in wheel throwing which will allow you to start throwing your own pieces from scratch once back home.

By the end of the course you will have the opportunity to choose which pieces you would like fired, glazed and shipped to you. As pieces need approximately a week to dry out, this will be done for you once the course has concluded.

Outcome

Although the course is focused on learning rather than making pieces, you will be able to keep some of the pieces you make:

  • The course includes the firing and glazing of up to 3 kg of dry clay (that’s plenty of small pieces for a beginner).
  • There is an extra charge of 20€/kg of clay for firing and glazing of more than 3kg of clay.
  • All pieces will be glazed with a standard transparent high temperature glaze.
  • We do not ship unglazed bisque pieces, as the chances of them breaking during shipping are too high.
  • Shipping costs are charged separately (we’ll provide you with a shipping fee document closer to the date)

We also offer intermediate and advanced wheel throwing programs. Click here to see the full schedule.

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.

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. 

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

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)

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

A Typical Day

Classes will be held from Monday through to Friday. On Sunday, there will be a welcome dinner and on Saturday morning, we will bid you farewell. Classes will be 4h each morning.

(9am-1pm) and 2/3h each afternoon (2-5pm), except one afternoon of cultural activities when you will spend approximately 2 hours in the studio in the morning and 2 hours in the studio in the afternoon.

Order of the day:

  • Yoga or meditation (2 classes x week)
  • Breakfast
  • First Class 9 am-10.3 am
  • Break (called merenda)
  • Second Class 11am-1pm
  • Lunch
  • Third Class 2pm-5pm
  • Finish

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.

(📷 by Sabela Andrés @sabelaandres)

Availability

2025 Dates

EUR €1250
3rd August - 9th August 2025
17th Aug - 23rd Aug 2025
31st August - 6th Sept 2025
7th Sept - 13th Sept 2025
28th Sept - 4th Oct 2025
12th Oct - 18th Oct 2025
26th Oct - 1st November 2025
2nd Nov - 8th November 2025
9th Nov - 15th November 2025
23rd Nov - 29th November 2025
30th Nov - 6th December 2025
Learn from our resident teacher
Daily local activities
2026 Dates
EUR €1300
15th Febr - 21st February 2026
8th March - 14th March 2026
29th March - 4th April 2026
5th April - 11th April 2026
19th April - 25th April 2026
7th June - 13th June 2026
14th June - 20th June 2026
21st June - 27th June 2026
19th July - 25th July 2026
2nd August - 8th August 2026
Check 2026 Availability

Meet the team

Our team is passionate about bringing Salemi to life and providing you with an authentic Sicilian experience