Special Course

Wheel Throwing and Altering Forms Two-week course with Marta Vino

This program is an intensive wheel-throwing perfectioning course with a plus: the throwing is combined with free-hands techniques to modify wheel-thrown shapes to achieve unique results. 

The wheel is a fascinating tool that allows us to create concave shapes such as plates, vases and cups. These are all round objects. But what if we wanted to make a squared plate? Or a multi-faced bottle? Wheel throwing allows you to rapidly generate shapes that can also be adjusted and modified later. It is possible to throw a vase on the wheel, and then transform it into an animal vase in the shapes of a fish or a duck.. During this two-week course we will learn together how to throw simple forms and how to possibly manipulate them according to our imagination.

Outcome

Although the course is focussed 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 6 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 6kg of clay
  • All your pieces will be glazed with a standard transparent glaze by our studio technician by the end of the course 
  • We do not ship unglazed bisque pieces, as the chances of them breaking during shipping are too high

Shipping costs are charged extra, and can vary from 40€ for 3 kg for Germany, to 80€ for  3kg shipped to the US.

Who is the course right for?

This course is right for you if:

  • you already have consistent wheel throwing experience
  • you can confidently centre at least 800gr of clay and can confidently throw well made 800gr pieces
  • you already have consistent experience on the wheel and you want to fully immerse yourself in practice to improve your skills in unprecedented ways
  • you already have consistent experience on the wheel and you want to spend 2 weeks just throwing without thinking of anything else
  • you you want to learn how to throw without limiting your imagination
  • you are fascinated by discovering a traditional pottery knowledge, existing worldwide from Japan to Italy

Your Teacher

Marta Vino was born and grew up in Apulia, in Southern Italy. After a long period of academic study between Rome and Lisbon, she discovered clay and dedicated her whole self to ceramic. When back to Italy in 2017, Marta has been working as apprentice in a pottery studio for two years and attended dozens of workshops about ceramic techniques, from porcelain nerikomi to etruscan bucchero. Three years ago, she started experimenting with wood-firing. Her academic background stands through her interest in history, popular pottery and local ceramic materials. She’s currently based in Turin where she runs her own studio: here she produces her ceramic work and teaches wheel throwing and chemistry of ceramic materials.

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 as the locals do in our favourite local bars
  • Enjoy meals in a variety of authentic, local Sicilian restaurants / home-restaurants
  • Carry out at least one excursion to a local cultural heritage site, either favorite di Burri or Segesta archaeological site

The Project

The Salemi School of Ceramics is a social enterprise that has been opened to create a learning centre for contemporary ceramics, the first of its kind in Sicily.

The School has been created in partnership with the local town of Salemi, which has provided the gorgeous space - the Sant'Agostino Monastery - that will be used for the school.

Salemi has a gorgeous historical centre and because it is quiet and peaceful, it is the perfect place for a mindful ceramics retreat.

What's Included

  • Ceramics classes and mentorship by Marta Vino
  • 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 retreat has finished)

What's Not Included

  • Accommodation
  • Shipping costs of pieces that will be fired by the studio (it’s between 30€ and 70€ for 3 kg depending on the country)
  • 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, 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.

Order of the day:

  • Yoga (2 classes x week)
  • Breakfast
  • First Class 9am-10.30am
  • Break
  • Second Class 11am-1pm
  • Lunch
  • Third Class 2pm-5pm
  • Finish

EUR €2250
Special Course
Wheel Throwing and Altering Forms Two-week course with Marta Vino
14th September - 27th September 2025
Learn from our resident teacher
Daily local activities
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Meet the team

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